Isabella Cicco is a second-year Civil Engineering PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. Her current research focuses on Urban Building Energy Modeling, or looking from a city scale at how to make the built environment more energy efficient. This modeling will help to determine which policies could best assist in reducing overall emissions.
In her time as an undergraduate student at Pitt, she voluntarily participated in a handful of sustainability classes in conjunction with her civil engineering degree. These classes, focused on topics such as sustainable development, led to a blossoming passion for sustainability in her work. This passion further grew from her experience studying abroad through the Engineering Perspectives of the Renaissance and Sustainability program in Florence. One key takeaway from these academic and extra-curricular experiences in sustainability was the opportunity to expand her perspective. Working with students from across all majors and schools allowed her to explore new sustainability opportunities and viewpoints. These experiences led to her feeling a growing responsibility to help the environment and communities through her work.
In addition to her research, Isabella worked with Aurora Sharrard and Melissa Bilec to publish the 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory last year. This inventory highlights which sectors of University operations, directly and indirectly, are contributing most to our emissions. It was found that 35% of all emissions came from electricity - a fact that Isabella feels could lead our actions moving forward. As the largest contributor, electricity largely comes from maintaining Pitt buildings, including high-energy structures such as labs and our older buildings. While Pitt has made incredible strides in implementing changes such as LED lighting and recycling, Isabella suggests additional improvements to current building energy efficiency to further reduce emissions. Another large contributor of greenhouse gas emissions was transportation, which Isabella noted is harder to diminish but still crucial to highlight in emission reductions. To further reduce Pitt’s electricity emissions, Isabella noted Pitt’s current collaboration with Gaucho Solar Farm, which will supply an incredible 18% of Pitt's energy from the renewable source of solar. To learn more about Pitt’s current emissions, be sure to read the 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
"It’s a privilege to work with talented students like Isabella," said Dr. Melissa Bilec, co-director of the Mascaro Center. "Through her involvement in Pitt’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Isabella is not only acquiring the crucial technical skills needed for this task but also gaining a comprehensive understanding of university operations, from travel to energy and waste management. Her efforts are instrumental in helping Pitt achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2037.
Isabella was once a student in the study abroad course I co-teach with Drs. Robertson and Gaudi, focusing on Renaissance Engineering and Sustainability in Florence, Italy. A few years later, she returned as a program assistant for the same course! Teaching in Italy and having these unique opportunities significantly shape our collective future. Isabella has an incredibly bright future ahead, and I am excited to see what she accomplishes next.”
Isabella hopes to see even larger strides for the inventory in the upcoming years, such as measuring emissions from construction on campus, as well as collaborating with Facilities Management to optimize renovation and energy efficiency projects to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As she continues to work on her research in energy efficiency, her positive impact on the Pitt community and environment will only continue to grow.