Current Interns

ATI draws interns from all over The University:  recently, we have worked with students from 9 different UT-Austin schools and colleges, both graduate and undergraduate. Those programs include Computer Science, Communications, Pharmacy, Engineering, English, Library Science, Business and Journalism.  In addition to current students, ATI takes a small number of recent graduates and community members into its internship program.

Below is the current class of ATI interns:

 Chad Blevins, CEI, is a Graduate Research Associate for the Austin Technology Incubator's Clean Energy Incubator. He serves on the Steering Committee for the UT Energy Forum and is on the Board of Directors for Solar Austin. Chad is the President of the Energy Resources Group and a Master's degree candidate in the Energy & Earth Resources graduate program at the University of Texas at Austin. Chad has several years of experience in the Texas energy and regulatory environment, having worked for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas General Land Office and for a 30 thousand acre lignite mine. While working in the Energy Resources division of the TX GLO, Chad developed from scratch a tool for analyzing the State's oil and gas lease revenues with respect to their resource in-kind option. Chad is an Air Force Distinguished Graduate that currently serves the Country as a Reservist in the 433rd Civil Engineering Squadron. Chad earned his Bachelor's degree Summa Cum Laude in International Relations from Saint Edward's University.

Luke Carriere is an executive MBA candidate at Fordham University's Graduate School of Business in New York City concentrating in Management. He is VP of Outreach for 3 Day Startup, where he manages and facilitates events internationally that give students experiential education in entrepreneurship. He serves on the Fundraising and Treasury Committees of the Board of Directors of the Austin AMIGOS, a nonprofit that enables students to volunteer in rural communities in Latin America. Prior to his pursuit of social entrepreneurship, he conducted quality control audits for insurance fraud, sold commercial financing services, and represented retail and industrial property owners as a licensed real estate agent in California. Luke's professional mission is to leverage technology to revolutionize quality of life in developing countries. Originally from Northfield, Illinois, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and minor in Business Administration from Fordham University in 2004. 

Ryan Field grew up in East-Central Illinois and in 2006 earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The following year, he received a fellowship to pursue a graduate degree in Latin American History from the University of Texas at Austin. He has spent the past two summers in Lima and Cusco researching his Master’s report, which explored cultural nationalism in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Peru.  Ryan is currently pursuing a second master’s in archival science in UT’s School of Information. At ATI, he works in both fund development and operations.

Joanie Guiling, CEI, is about to begin her final year of studies at the University of Texas at Austin as an undergraduate. She is majoring in Environmental Science, with a focus in Sustainability and a Business Foundations Certificate. Her interests include clean and renewable energy, as well as green building and design. While working in the ATI Clean Energy Incubator, she will be doing research assistance for member companies and financial reports. After graduation, Joanie hopes to stay in Austin to take advantage of all the city has to offer. 

Patrick Kennedy is a consultant specializing in programming efficiency into methodologies and user interfaces. Patrick has programmed for experimental psychologists at Columbia University, New York University and Haifa University and has managed a programming team in the build-out of a reaction-time application for a researcher at Gettysburg College. Previously, Patrick has taught seminars to Columbia University undergraduates on human behavior and research methods. In 2008, he was given a fellow position working with the Teagle Foundation to improve teaching in Columbia’s core curriculum course, Frontiers of Science. Patrick received his Master of Arts in Experimental Psychology in 2009 from Columbia University and both his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy in 2005 from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Patrick is currently attending McComb's School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and will be receiving his Master of Science in Technology Commercialization in May 2012. 

Dennis Kuesters, CEI, is a graduate student at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. He is majoring in Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering, with a focus in Production Engineering and Entrepreneurship. In the past couple of years, Dennis worked as an intern and student assistant for major industrial corporations, a Venture Capital firm and several research institutes in Germany and South Africa. At ATI Clean Energy Incubator, Dennis enjoys working closely with early stage clean energy companies that develop innovative products and technologies.

William Liechty, Bio, is a PhD student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin.  His thesis research centers on the development of responsive nanoscale hydrogels for delivery of small interfering RNA and has been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2011 Excellence in Graduate Research Award from UT Austin.  William has also been instrumental in the development and growth of Texas Venture Labs; leading several cross-functional deal teams, and helping partner companies raise nearly $8 million.  His interests include responsive materials, RNA interference, and nanotechnology. Prior to UT, William was a Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge and holds a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Iowa.  He will graduate in May 2013. 

 Toni Miranda-Aranda, IT/Wireless, is a MSTC candidate at the McCombs School of Business. He has been working in the IT and Wireless industry for more than 10 years in Europe (France, The Netherlands and Spain). He has also been doing research for more than 4 years in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation. His areas of interest include technology commercialization and strategy, and entrepreneurship. At ATI, Toni enjoys working with companies that develop new products and technologies to address a need in the market and he is providing support on the market validation process. Prior to McCombs, Toni worked for 5 years in software development, data and voice network deployment and IT security, and the last 6 years in the Technology Incubator and Technology Transfer Office in Barcelona. He graduated from Polithecnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and he got his MSc inTelecom Engineering in La Salle School of Engineering. He is taking a year of sabbatical for his PhD in Technology Management.  

Mary Nguyen, Bio, is currently a doctoral student with the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Her thesis focuses on peptide-based mimics as hydrogels for cardiovascular tissue regeneration and expects to have her PhD in Fall 2011. At ATI, she has worked with several member and pipeline companies, and is contributing to a major wet lab study.  She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and has held internships with various research groups and companies including the Visual Heart Lab, R&D Systems, and ELA Medical. 

Patricia Varraveto, ATI MKT/Events and CEI, is an MBA candidate at the McCombs School of Business concentrating in Cleantech and Energy Finance. An avid proponent sustainability and efficiency, Patricia is passionate about finding solutions to the world's energy challenges through renewable sources. At the Austin Technology Incubator, Patricia has coordinated event logistics for the 2011 Clean Energy Venture Summit and is looking forward to working more closely with early stage clean energy companies. Prior to business school, Patricia worked for five years in business technology consulting with a specific focus on supply chain management. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2006 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering.