Second-year planning students Kwame Owusu Daaku and Mark Pooley have each been named a 2013 Obermann Graduate Fellow and will participate in the 2013 Obermann Graduate Institute on Engagement and the Academy January 14-18, 2013.  Kwame and Mark were selected for the Institute in a campus-wide competition.  In the Institute, graduate students develop projects that apply their graduate education to community problems and issues and have the opportunity to meet with experts, including former Obermann Graduate Fellows, faculty members, UI administrators, and potential community partners.

Kwame is working on finding effective ways of engaging Iowa City landlords to support energy-efficient rental units. He wishes to garner landlord support for energy-efficiency in a bid to reduce the disproportionate inability of renters to weatherize their living spaces to significantly reduce energy consumption and subsequently save money. Mark plans to use his time with the Institute to further understand how commuter cyclists respond to infrastructure, incentives, and information.  For more information, please see the Obermann Institute website.