First Annual Energy Transition Symposium Held At UMass
Vivian Ogechi Nwadiaru moderates career panel at the first annual UMass Energy Transition Symposium. Photo: Energy Transition Institute
Source: UMass Energy Transition Intititute
More than 150 faculty, students and community members attended the first annual Energy Transition Symposium at the UMass Student Union ballroom on May 3. The event showcased energy transition research and campus climate action from the five-college community, including (but not limited to) work in STEM, social sciences, humanities, business, and interdisciplinary studies.
“The experience at the symposium was very enlightening. The breadth and coverage of topics related to energy displayed in the poster presentations were surprising and remarkable. The event’s highlight was the career panel. Understanding what skills and knowledge gaps exist in the industry will help ensure my work is solution-oriented.”
Vivian Ogechi Nwadiaru, PhD Industrial Engineering, ELEVATE Fellow
Symposium Highlights
UMass Amherst faculty, students and the five-college college community participated in the following events:
- Career panel with four energy industry leaders
- Keynote welcome by Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy
- Virtual keynote speaker Secretary Kathleen A. Theoharides
- Presentation of the UMass Amherst carbon mitigation plan
- Two student poster sessions with a competition
- Student networking lunch with the career panelists
Career Panel
The morning program began with an hour-long career panel discussion and Q&A session, introduced by Erin Baker, professor of industrial engineering and faculty director of ETI, and moderated by Vivian Ogechi Nwadiaru, UMass Amherst PhD Industrial Engineering student and ELEVATE fellow. The panel included a variety of energy industry leaders including:
- Dan Berwick, Borrego Energy
- Dr. Ariel Horowitz, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
- John Larsen, Rhodium Group
- Roger Kranenburg, Eversource
Following the panel discussion, UMass Amherst ELEVATE program fellows enjoyed a networking lunch with the panelists.
Keynote Address
After the poster session, ELEVATE program Director Matthew Lackner introduced UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy, who welcomed virtual keynote speaker Kathleen A. Theoharides, Secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). Following the keynote, Ted Mendoza, UMass Amherst Capital Projects Manager for Design and Construction Management, presented the university’s Carbon Mitigation Plan.
The event was sponsored by ELEVATE in partnership with the Energy Transition Institute, the iCons Program, Clean Energy Extension, Campus Sustainability, and the Wind Energy Fellows Program.
About ELEVATE
The ELEVATE program offers fellowships to PhD students doing convergence research across disciplines on clean energy, equity and climate resilience. The program is situated within the Energy Transition Institute (ETI) and is supported by two grants totaling $6.3 million from the National Science Foundation.