Blake Thomas

S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources

 

Blake is a Master of Science candidate in the Quinney College of Natural Resources. He was born and raised in Virginia, and immediately fell in love with the Bear River Mountains upon his arrival to Logan. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies and a Minor in Sustainable Systems in the QCNR’s Department of Environment and Society in 2012. During his undergraduate studies he served as the QCNR’s Academic Senator, a Teaching Assistant and Teaching Fellow, the Student Sustainability Office’s first intern, and a board member of Logan City’s Renewable Energy Advisory Board. As a graduate student, he interned for a nationally recognized solar energy non-profit, helped manage a National Science Foundation project on water use in Utah, and was a Graduate Teaching Assistant. Blake’s graduate research on renewable energy development in Utah is timely and essential as is demonstrated through the publication of his six peer-reviewed articles, research presentations at nine conferences in seven states, and procurement of more than $28,000 in grants and scholarships. Additionally, Blake works full-time in Governor Herbert’s Office of Energy Development on alternative transportation and renewable energy projects while working on his thesis at night.