Alexavier Pilacik

When Alexavier Pilacik’s monthly energy bill at his off-campus apartment in an older Lowell building climbed to $700, the environmental science major got a firsthand lesson in the burden of high energy costs.

New windows have since helped bring the bill down. But the experience gave Pilacik a personal perspective on an issue he was also exploring as a fellow with the Clean Energy and Environment Legacy Transition (CELT) Initiative.

“That’s a lot of money,” Pilacik says. “A lot of people would not be in a position where they’d be able to pay that.”

Through CELT, Pilacik spent the spring semester of his first year at UML working with the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG), where he researched municipal energy systems and ways that communities can transition to cleaner, more affordable energy.

His largest project focused on municipal energy aggregation, which allows communities to purchase electricity on behalf of residents and businesses and can provide opportunities to incorporate more renewable energy.

The experience opened his eyes to the complexities communities face in trying to change how they get their energy.

“I didn’t realize how much control utilities have,” he says.

It was an unusually deep dive into the professional side of environmental science for someone just beginning college.

Pilacik was the only first-year student — and “by far the youngest person” — in a CELT cohort that included graduate and doctoral students.

He had started looking for professional opportunities almost as soon as he arrived at UML. His father had stressed the importance of internships and making connections, and Pilacik wanted work that could provide experience while helping him support himself through college.

When he came across CELT, he decided to take a chance.

“I’m not guaranteed to have this position, but it never hurts to apply,” he recalls thinking.  

Working up to 20 hours a week at NMCOG, Pilacik assisted Senior Sustainability Planner Meghan Tenhoff by gathering and researching information she could use in her work.

“Throughout the internship, I felt very appreciated,” he says.  

Pilacik presented his research at an end-of-year CELT fellowship celebration at Boston University. His poster, “Understanding and Implementing Municipal Energy Aggregation,” examined ways that communities can pursue clean-energy projects while navigating financial, regulatory and planning challenges.

The fellowship also showed Pilacik another potential career path in a field that has interested him since childhood. Growing up, he spent considerable time outdoors with his family, from hiking and camping to visiting national parks.

“I’ve always been interested in nature,” says Pilacik, an Honors College student whose concentration is in geoscience.

Pilacik is continuing to explore where that interest might take him.

As an Honors fellow, he will work with Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Associate Professor James Heiss, using Python and data analysis in research involving beach sediments and erosion. He is also volunteering with the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust and serves as secretary of the Society of Environmental Scientists student organization.

“I want to dip my toes in as many different things as possible to see what I want to do later on,” Pilacik says.