| | |

Puranik Foundation Launches The Energy Project Internship Program to Design Future of Sustainability

(November 3, 2021) The Puranik Foundation, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Houston and operating a school in India, announced the launch of the inaugural Energy Project – a Global Service Leadership Internship Program for the next generation of innovators. 

In partnership with HISD’s Energy Institute High School (EIHS), Rice University Energy Association and CleanTech Clubs, Stanford University Professor Ariel Raz, and Junior Achievement, the Puranik Foundation is offering students the opportunity to impact the future of sustainability by co-creating sustainable innovations to benefit Houston by problem-solving local energy challenges. 

Students will form teams to work together to design innovative alternative energy approaches to sustaining areas in solar, wind, agriculture, building materials, water purification, and biofuel. 

“We are excited to offer this exciting challenge to inspire and cultivate student ideas from concept development, prototype testing and building entrepreneurial skills bringing their projects to a reality that will impact the future,” said Puranik Foundation’s Executive Director Bhakti Salunkhe. “Our vision for this project is to build a model for sustainability and innovation for students that can be used in under-resourced areas across the world.” 

To provide educational opportunities that open minds, stimulate holistic perspectives, and inspire transformation, Puranik Foundation invites sophomore, junior and senior student leaders and visionaries from EIHS to apply for the inaugural internship program, which will begin on December 2, 2021, and conclude on May 5, 2022. 

During the internship program, students will cover a four-pillar curriculum that includes design thinking, alternative energy 101, integrative approach with leadership training, and entrepreneurship and business plan pitches preparing students for a promising future.


To enhance their long-term educational and professional future students will attend field trips and mentor sessions. During spring break, from March 11-20, 2022, students will participate in a 10-day residential prototyping workshop at TXRX makerspace lab.Following a five-week business plan development, students will have the opportunity to showcase and pitch their innovation at the Lotus Innovation Awards Gala on Thursday, April 28, 2022, at The Post Oak Hotel. One innovation project will be awarded a $15,000 grant for the implementation of a prototype in Houston. 

For more information about The Energy Project and Puranik Foundation, visit http://www.puranikfoundation.org/. 

About the Puranik Foundation 501(c)(3) The Puranik Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Houston that owns and operates the Vision International Learning Center, a school in Pune, India. The Foundation believes in providing educational opportunities that open minds, stimulate holistic perspectives, and inspire transformation. Seated on 27 acres of sustainable land, the school provides private education to underserved children grades K-12 at no cost. Housing and meals throughout the week along with a curriculum enriched with nature exploration, mindfulness practices, critical thinking exercises, and leadership training are included. 

The Puranik Foundation was founded 21 years ago and is the corporate social responsibility arm of Worldwide Oilfield Machine (WOM) a global design and manufacturer of flow equipment valves for the oil and gas business. Twice a year high school, college students, as well as teachers, professors and mindfulness practitioners from around the world are invited to visit the campus to participate in one of three week-long Global Service Leadership Programs hosted by the Foundation. 

For more information, visit www.puranikfoundation.org and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Similar Posts

  • 7 tips to hire smart for your small business

    – Ever heard the expression, “One bad apple spoils the barrel?” In business this is especially true because hiring the wrong person can negatively affect everyone working around them, as well as potentially harming the reputation of your company.   Turnover is incredibly expensive and can have a ripple effect throughout an organization. Hiring new…

  • |

    Christina Robinson Grochett

    Chief Strategist for Innovation and Research, Lone Star College Christina Robinson Grochett currently serves as Chief Strategist for Innovation and Research at Lone Star College – University Park. Grochett spearheads the expansion of innovative ideas across the Lone Star College system and engages cross-functional teams in delivering strategic outcomes. Grochett is a champion of higher…

  • |

    JUDY FOSTON STANFORD

    In 1984, Judy Foston Stanford, after working for Fortune 500 companies in sales and marketing nationally for ten years, founded a full-service boutique communications company specializing in marketing, advertising, public relations and special events. Foston International Communications Inc. has provided communication services for various companies over the years such as Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola USA, Colgate-Palmolive, Communication Workers of…

  • Houston Entrepreneur Wins $23,000 in Business Pitch Competitions

    Entrepreneur Deidre Mathis, won her first business pitch of the year at the Texas Black Expo, taking 2nd place and $1,500. Soon after, she beat out dozens of teams to win 3rd place and $4,000 during the Houston Community College Business Plan Competition. She went on to take 1st place with both the Houston Liftoff Business Pitch Competition, winning $10,000 and the Urban…

  • |

    LaMonica Love

    LaMonica Love is the founder of The Love Law Group and Consulting Services, PLLC, which provides top-notch legal services and business solutions to start-ups, entrepreneurs and small/medium sized businesses. She previously worked as a corporate attorney and business management consultant for two Fortune 500 companies, representing those companies in corporate multi-million-dollar transactions. Her practice areas include…

  • |

    Marlene Petry, RN, MSN

    SVP, GP Industrial Contractors, Inc. Marlene Petry is Senior Vice President of GP Industrial Contractors, Inc., which she and her husband Roosevelt have owned since 1998. Petry received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston and her Master of Science in Nursing from Regis University in…