Meng '05 wins Dale for environmental project

While some post-thesis seniors spend the last few weeks of the year relaxing, Kyle Meng '05 plans to sit in the basement of Fine Hall, finishing a presentation for the U.S. Department of Energy.

But shunning the sun to study the problem of carbon emissions in China has had its rewards for Meng. He was awarded the 2005 Martin Dale Fellowship, a $25,000 prize, last week.

It is granted annually to a graduating senior "whose proposal offers the potential for a transformative experience" after graduation, said Forbes College dean John Hodgson, who coordinated the selection process. "It was a wide-ranging and ambitious proposal that he advanced."

Meng, a civil engineering major, plans to combine his interests in engineering, environmental science and public policy into a yearlong survey of China's perception of its environment.

Meng will begin by studying those subjects in both English and Chinese at Tsinghua University, one of China's major universities, located just outside of Beijing. He will then travel around China, seeking local perspective on public policy.

"There's such a disconnect between what is said on the policy level and what is done at the local level," Meng said.

In the perpetual conflict between environmental conservation and economic development, Meng noted that developing countries generally prioritize the latter.

However, China's accelerated economic growth may provoke an especially strong environmentalist backlash, he said.

"There's a lot of activism going on, a lot of dissent because of environmental degradation," Meng said. "My main task is to gather a good understanding of this movement, and whether or not this movement has enough momentum to sustain itself and ultimately effect some kind of powerful change in China."

Meng plans to interview average Chinese citizens for most of his research.

He also hopes his connection to a professor at Tsinghua University will help him contact higher-level officials, but access may pose a challenge.

"It's hard to get to places," he said, "especially when I'm researching a topic that is this politically sensitive."

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Meng said he feels worries about the few requirements of the Dale fellowship.

"There are no strings attached," he said, adding that he finds the freedom both exciting and frightening. "I'm going to have to be responsible for providing the structure."

"I do have a tentative plan, but much of it is going to have to be figured out in China. There's going to be a lot of decision-making on the road," he added.

Despite his concerns, Meng feels his multifaceted college experience — encompassing a degree in civil engineering, certificates in environmental studies and musical performance and stints as president of the Global Issues Forum and a columnist for The Daily Princetonian — has prepared him for his project.

He looks forward to the opportunity to apply his education.

"I've been exposed to a lot of new things, and I now want to cultivate those interests," he said. "For me, it's just a matter next year of kind of slowing down, really letting the experience sink in, and learning to be more actively involved in things, and not just run around."

The Dale award will allow Meng to master his Chinese — he currently speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin — and work on his writing, which so far has been limited to a few campus publications.

"Freelancing," he said. "This is an unbelievable opportunity to do it."

Moreover, Meng's entire family, except his parents, still lives in China. Meng, who was born there, looks forward to spending some time with his relatives.

"It'll be a rather adventurous year," he said. "I'm extremely excited."