Subscribe
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Sgt. Brian Nelson isn’t in the classroom of a university anymore. He is in Afghanistan using his skills as a chemical engineer to fuel coalition forces expansion into the use of alternative energy.
Nelson, 31, Regional Command Southwest expeditionary energy chief, is working on different ways for coalition forces to incorporate alternative energy into their day-to-day activities.
Nelson, who holds a degree in chemical engineering from the University of New Hampshire, started out with a love of science and math, taking six science classes in high school and exhausting the school’s math courses.
The North Falmouth, Mass., native says that it was a natural progression for him to gear toward chemical engineering in college, but says that he’s glad that he now gets to implement what he has learned and put it in use in the Marine Corps.
“When I was getting my chemical engineering degree, I knew I didn’t want to be stuck in some office somewhere,” said Nelson. “I knew I wanted to be out on the ground, and I wanted to be doing things, and that was just amplified when I became a Marine.
“This is the first taste that I’ve ever gotten of getting to combine what I learned in college with the Marine Corps, which is great,” he added. “I’ve been looking for this opportunity for a long time.”
Since arriving in Afghanistan in the summer of 2010, Nelson has hit the ground running, spearheading many of the alternative energy projects being implemented around southern Afghanistan.
Some of the projects include the use of bio-fuels, solar flood lights, energy sets, blankets and water purification units.
The sergeant says he fits into the whole scheme as the “ground pounder,” meaning he gets to go to the different forward operating bases and combat outposts to view the alternative energy equipment there and see how and if it is working.
“I get to be out there, and I get to be doing things at the same time as experiencing this whole new stage of being a Marine, and that’s what I love about it,” he said.
The chemical engineer said that he has a leg up on this job as a ground pounder because, “I’ve got a good handle on using resources that are locally available wherever I am to accomplish whatever I need to accomplish.”
The experience Nelson has received as a “ground pounder” is paying dividends as the expeditionary energy section paves the way for new approaches for the future energy use of the Marine Corps.
Nelson says that each alternative energy approach is just a small piece of the pie, and all approaches must be carefully looked at to see which one will be most effective. He says the Marine Corps has to explore different alternative energy options depending on where Marines may go.
“To start the process of saying we need to start looking away from fossil fuels and the fact that we are actually pushing for this and doing the research is great,” said Nelson. “These bio-fuels in addition to being able to grow them and have them sustainable for that cyclic system, they burn a little bit slower and little bit cleaner than our usual JP8 fuel.”
The chemical engineer isn’t done with his work here yet. Even though he is redeploying soon, he plans on continuing what he started with I Marine Expeditionary Force forward when II MEF assumes responsibility.
“I’ve done enough work where you’re kind of at that point where you don’t want to give it up yet, and you don’t want to give it to somebody else,” he said. “You’ve planted the seeds, and you want to see where some of these projects can grow. It’s something new and it’s very exciting in that sense.
“After this deployment I’m going to come right back out here and do it again. I’ve enjoyed this job quite a bit, so I’ve requested to do another tour out here doing the same things.”
| Date Taken: | 02.11.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.11.2011 10:36 |
| Story ID: | 65242 |
| Location: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF |
| Web Views: | 260 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Chemical engineer fuels coalition forces search for energy alternatives, by Sgt Shawn Coolman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT