Diliya Murtazina is a second-year graduate student working toward an M.S. in Engineering in Energy Systems. Originally from Kazakhstan, she completed her B.S. in Ecology and Environmental Management at Lomonosov Moscow State University. At Illinois, she is a member of the Graduate Society of Women Engineers and the Kazakh Student Association.
To Diliya, the becoming a member of the Energy Conservation and Building Standards SWATeam meant spending more time on a cause she cares about.
“I wanted to obtain real-world experience, encounter new challenges, and be more familiar with what is going on in my campus,” she said. “I realize the magnitude of ecological problems we are facing now, and are going to deal with in the near future.
“I believe that even small contributions could lead to big changes. If I can bring us even a small step further, I should consider my time well spent.”
The people, Diliya says, are both the greatest strength and greatest weakness when it comes to her team’s work.
“People do not enjoy changes that make life more inconvenient,” she said. “We are used to certain comforts, and we often rebel when those comforts are taken away from us. On the other hand … young people are more open-minded and readily adapt to a changing environment.”
Overall, she has high hopes when it comes to the future of sustainability — and she wants to be apart of environmental solutions.
“I would like to see a higher degree of efficiency in all stages of life, from scheduling strategical planning, to construction and maintenance of our facilities,” Diliya said. “I believe that the path to a sustainable future begins with the right mind-set, and I hope that people become more aware this in their day-to-day lives.”