"Whether you are an energy producer in the oil sands, an electric vehicle manufacturer contemplating your latest prototype, or someone switching off your lights at night, we all have a critical stake in the future of energy” says Rosie Pidcock, a UBC student and chair of the International Student Energy Summit 2011 (ISES 2011) to be held from June 9 to 11, 2011 on UBC’s Vancouver campus.
Pidcock sees the summit’s theme “The Evolving Energy Ecosystem” as a critical reflection on how the roles and responsibilities of different energy stakeholders are shifting. “Our theme will challenge students to become active stakeholders in the energy ecosystem.” The program focuses on three pillars that address today’s key energy issues: Markets and Regulation, Global Energy Dynamics, and Technology and Innovation. The ISES 2011 program will feature Rajendra K. Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Nobel Prize winner as a keynote speaker.
Students may begin registering for the conference on March 1 at www.studentenergy.org .
Pidcock was a delegate at the first International Student Energy Summit in 2009 on the University of Calgary campus. Speakers such as Vicente Fox, Jeremy Rifkin and her fellow student energy leaders inspired Pidcock to pursue studies in energy and to chair the 2011 event at UBC.
The ISES 2011 is a global forum that will bring together 400 international, multidisciplinary postsecondary students in undergraduate and graduate studies to discuss their role in the transition to a sustainable energy future. The event is being officially hosted and sponsored by the UBC Sustainability Initiative.
A large team of over 30 UBC students, as well as three staff members of the UBC Sustainability Initiative, are coordinating all areas of ISES 2011. Like Pidcock, the ISES Vice Chair, Emily Brown, was a delegate from the Calgary event. “Not being involved just wasn’t an option,” says Brown.
The corporate and academic communities, as well as the provincial government, are all rallying to support the event. BC Hydro, Terasen Gas, the British Columbia Institute of Technology and the Province of BC have all confirmed as sponsors. The event is also backed by an advisory committee that boasts Vice-Presidents, Managing Directors, and CEOs from such globally-recognized outfits as Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, Nexen and the GLOBE Foundation. Advisory Board Chair and Past CEO of BC Hydro, Bob Elton states: “When we shape our energy future we shape the world. ISES is an important event because young people have the largest stake in that future, and the sooner they are equipped to help build it, the better for all of us. The Advisory Board is inspired by the efforts that the student team is putting into ISES 2011, and look forward to an exciting and important dialogue in June.
Given Vancouver’s developing reputation as a hub for clean energy research and investment, ISES 2011 will bring a holistic view of what a sustainable community can look like. The event is also aligned with the Province of BC’s goals in the area of climate change, with renewable energy being a cornerstone of the plan for lowering greenhouse gas emissions and generating economic activity internationally. This backdrop of Vancouver and the location of UBC, recently tied for number one in Canada on the College Sustainability Report, will add to the sense of action and empowerment that ISES looks to inspire.
Potential delegate and partners are invited to visit www.studentenergy.org .