University of Colorado Boulder students, along with experts from government and industry, will focus on student research and the natural gas boom during the third annual Energy Frontiers conference April 5.
The event, organized by the CU Energy Club, is free and open to the public and will be held from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Glenn Miller Ballroom of the University Memorial Center. The conference includes a poster session, panel discussion, catered lunch and a career fair.
The CU Energy Club is a student alliance supported by CU-Boulder鈥檚 Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, or RASEI -- a joint venture with the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Its members range from undergraduate students to postdoctoral researchers.
鈥淭he CU Energy Club draws students of interdisciplinary fields, from science and engineering to business, public policy and beyond,鈥� said Jeremy Halperin, club president and a CU-Boulder junior in chemical engineering. 鈥淥ur diverse underpinnings are the strength of the club and they鈥檒l be reflected at Energy Frontiers, making the conference a huge opportunity to showcase a variety of great work and ideas.鈥�
Oklahoma Secretary of Energy Mike Ming will be among panel speakers, discussing 鈥淭he Changing Landscape of Our Energy Future: What Does a Natural Gas Boom Mean for Renewables?鈥� from 1 to 3 p.m. Joining Ming will be NREL Energy Analyst Jeffrey Logan, Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association Executive Director Neal Lurie, RES Americas Vice President of Strategy and Transactions Seth McIntosh and CU law Professor William Boyd, who will moderate the panel.
The conference also will include an energy research poster session from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CU-Boulder faculty and NREL scientists, as well as conference attendees, will be invited to select poster presenters for several cash prizes of $250 and one grand prize of $500.
About 20 to 30 companies are expected to host tables during the career fair from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
鈥淐U Energy does a terrific job of putting on this annual event,鈥� said Carl Koval, club mentor and RASEI co-director. 鈥淚 encourage everyone on campus who is interested in sustainable energy issues to attend.鈥�
Previous events coordinated by the CU Energy Club include a public forum on Boulder鈥檚 potential to form a municipal utility as voters weighed the option last fall. The club also facilitated a visit from William Brinkman, director of the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 Office of Science.
For a complete schedule of Energy Frontiers events and to register, which is not required but is requested, visit . For more information on the CU Energy Club visit .
Attendees at a 2010 CU-Boulder conference view posters showcasing energy research. (Photo by Glenn Asakawa/University of Colorado)
