In light of recent events like the Japanese Nuclear disaster and last year’s catastrophic BP oil spill there has been increased interest and discussion on issues surrounding the environment. This weekend’s Tufts Energy Conference will provide a forum for students and professionals alike to address these issues and more. Jingcong Zhao, co-chair of marketing, sat down with Tufts Her Campus to give us the scoop on what will be happening at this year’s conference.
When and where is the conference?
The conference, Exploring Energy’s Great Debates: Moving Past Posturing to Arrive at Achievable Energy Solutions, is happening in and around the Fletcher School on April 15th and 16th.
What are the issues being discussed at the conference?
The 2011 Tufts Energy Conference will discuss challenging questions such as: what is the price of energy security?
-Can renewable energy ever compete in this fossil fuel-based world?
-Are resource-intensive energy alternatives too hot to handle?
-Can the transportation industry evolve in time to meet the climate change imperative?
-Will energy efficiency gain widespread buy-in and what does this movement mean for our energy landscape?
-How do developed and developing nations share the benefits of an alternative energy future?
TEC 2011 will bring together students, industry leaders, academics and policymakers to discuss these questions. Our goal is to create constructive debate on how incremental policy changes and business model innovations can make a meaningful impact on global energy challenges in the next 10 years.
How do you feel Tufts as a school ranks in terms of being environmentally conscience?
I think President Bacow puts it best:”Tufts has a long and deep commitment to issues of the environment and sustainability. We have continued to take a leadership position. We were a founding member, and the first university member, of the Chicago Climate Exchange. We have been recognized as an innovator in finding more efficient ways to utilize and conserve resources throughout the university, including energy and water, and to limit and recycle our waste products. The members of the staff who volunteer their time to our Eco-Ambassadors program play a special role in ensuring that the values of sustainability are addressed at the level of individual Schools and departments. Tufts is an environmental leader in teacher and research. Sustainability is a central focus for our School of Engineering, while faculty at the Fletcher School played central roles in the work that led to a Nobel Prize for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Our faculty is opening up new opportunities for innovation in areas a diverse, and promising, as green chemistry and the use of recycled waste materials in heavy construction. Tufts students entered a spectacular project, the only one from New England, in the last Solar Decathlon.
Tufts graduates carry on this tradition of being good stewards of the resources entrusted to us. Today, they hold positions of prominence in government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and academic institutions dedicated to sustainability. Some of the greenest corporations in the United States- DuPont, for example-are led by Tufts alumni. And the future for our environmental research and teaching is bright. The first Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship grant that Tufts has ever received from the National Science Foundation will support work on water diplomacy involving five of our Schools” (The Tufts Environmental Alumni Newsletter, April 2011)
What other events will be happening at the conference besides panels?
There will be workshops on Saturday were companies will be representing different fields to share what they know allowing attendees to get a better understanding of specific issues. Energy companies like Enel North America sponsor these workshops and CB&I, some of them are sponsored by Tufts institutions such as the Institute on Global Leadership and the Center on International Environment and Resource Policy; several are moderated by Tufts faculty members.A career fair type meet and greet with the companies present at the conference, attendees have the opportunity to submit their resumes through our resume drop on the website. There will also be a Clean Car Hot Rod Show, which is new as of this year outside of Olin, which will feature cars from a Tufts group, Chevy and a few others. There will also be the semifinal round of the TEC Energy Challenge taking place.
What is the TEC Energy Challenge?
The TEC challenge is: a celebration of innovative student-driven solutions to energy challenges. Winners will receive up to $1000 to implement their action or research project to address a key energy issue. The goals of the Tufts Energy Challenge are to support students to implement projects that explore solutions to key energy issues, inspire interdisciplinary research and collaboration at Tufts and provide greater visibility of Tufts engagement in energy-related disciplines & fields. Students compete in either the Action or Research track.
Four projects were advanced into the Tufts Energy Challenge semifinals selected by the 2011 selection panel. Semi-finalists will present their projects at the Friday session of the conference and attendees will have the opportunity to vote on the two finals winners. Winners are announced on Saturday at the conference
You want to increase student involvement what others ways can students get involved in the conference?
Join the conference planning team next year, get involved in the TEC challenge, we are looking to get more funding for TEC challenge in the future so we can benefit more students who would like to do projects.
How can people get involved in the planning of the conference?
The Tufts Energy Conference Planning Group actually has a really structured plan on how to get involved. You apply and are interviewed by past members of the group. We have and executive committee, content, sponsorship, and marketing committees that work together to put this together. We want people to reach out to sponsors, and help get speakers. The planning involves everyone. It’s also a great way to work with students in Fletcher, as well as the Engineering and Arts and Sciences Schools. We want people to know that conference planning is open to all.
** Head over to tuftsenergyconference.comfor more information on the conference and for a list of participants in the TEC energy challenge head over to:http://tuftsenergyconference.com/get_involved/energy_challenge_contestants**
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Tufts chapter.