“Smart Choices” program named 2026 Environmental Stewardship Award

The Environmental Stewardship Award recognizes commitment to environmental stewardship as it relates to the Illinois State campus or surrounding communities.

The "Smart Choices: Empowering Future Leaders in Energy and Sustainability" program faculty members, Dr. Dimitrios Nikolaou, Dr. German Blanco, and Dr. Srishti Slaria, were honored with the 2026 Environmental Stewardship Award at The Founding Celebration on February 19, 2026.

Smart Choices is a five-day summer bootcamp for high school and college students that integrates science, economics, and policy to explore how energy choices impact both the environment and the economy. Through hands-on workshops, energy audits, and experiential field trips to organizations including Rivian Automotive, Constellation Nuclear Plants, Illinois American Water, and ComEd's Bronzeville Microgrid, the program has reached over 200 students across 15 schools. Offered free of charge with a strong focus on underrepresented students and paired with teacher professional development, Smart Choices prepares participants for clean energy careers and leadership in sustainability.

Dr. Dimitrios Nikolaou, Department of Economics

Dr. Dimitrios Nikolaou is a Professor at the Department of Economics, where he has served since 2013. After serving as the Economics Graduate Program director, Nikolaou currently serves as department chairperson of the Department of Economics and as executive director of the Institute for Regulatory Policy Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from The Ohio State University and specializes in health economics, labor economics, and the economics of education.

His scholarship includes peer-reviewed publications in top academic journals, including the Journal of Health Economics, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Health Economics, and the Southern Economic Journal. His work informs policy debates, addressing issues such as same sex marriage legalization, secondhand smoke regulations, extracurricular education policies, and the societal and behavioral impacts of bullying and cyberbullying.

Throughout his career at Illinois State, Nikolaou has been recognized for excellence in research, teaching, and service. He is a three-time recipient of the Scott M. Elliott Faculty Excellence Award (2017, 2020, 2023) and, in 2022, earned the prestigious John A. Dossey Award for Outstanding Teaching, the highest honor granted to a tenured faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences. His service contributions have been acknowledged through the University Service Initiative Award, the Redbirds RISE to the COVID Challenge Award, the Outstanding College Service Award, and the Environmental Stewardship Award.

He has held many leadership roles and actively serves on numerous university committees. His administrative and scholarly leadership continues to shape Illinois State's economics programs and strengthen connections between academic research, policy analysis, and student development.

Dr. German Blanco, Department of Economics

Dr. German Blanco is an associate professor of economics at Illinois State, where he has been on the faculty since 2013 after earning his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

His research focuses on labor economics, applied econometrics, and program evaluation, with an emphasis on active labor market policies. His work has been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, Journal of Human Resources, and Econometric Reviews, and has presented at national and international conferences and institutions.

Blanco teaches courses in principles of economics, statistics, econometrics, and labor economics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Dr. Srishti Slaria, Department of Economics

Dr. Srishti Slaria is an applied microeconomist with research interests in energy economics, environmental and resource economics, and development economics. She also uses behavioral theories and nudge interventions to improve consumer or demand-side environment-friendly and sustainable behaviors.

Slaria received her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Kansas in 2024.

Outside of academia, she is an avid sportsperson and has played Division-I intercollegiate tennis during her undergrad years. She also enjoys traveling and learning about history and ancient cultures through books, podcasts, and sightseeing.