Clean Energy Education initiative begins at Illinois

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign announces the Clean Energy Education workshop to be held Thursday, October 13, 2011 on the Urbana campus. The workshop is the first in a series of activities that will bring together experts in energy education to lead the nation in creating an energy literate citizenry for the 21st century.

In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama challenged the country to produce 80 percent of the nation’s electricity from clean energy sources by the year 2035. While technology is a vital component in reaching our nation’s clean energy goals, educating people to be energy literate so that they can be informed decision makers is also critical. 
 
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the workshop is organized by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois-Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and the Illinois Green Economy Network of Community Colleges. 
 
Carl Wieman, Associate Director for Science at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Nobel laureate, will give the keynote address, speaking from his Washington office.  A five-member panel will then discuss and debate the goals and challenges of clean energy education from diverse viewpoints. The closing address by Juergen Scheffran, University of Hamburg, Germany, will expand the issue to the international stage. Current and planned educational activities at the collaborating institutions will be highlighted in poster presentations.
 
In the afternoon, invited participants will work in breakout sessions to draft recommendations for the national report.  These participants include faculty from approximately 30 universities, community colleges and schools, as well as leaders from business and industry, government and non-government organizations. The workshop represents a unique collaboration between public and private institutions in an effort to address a topic of critical national need.
 
Overall, the workshop will focus on identifying the most effective ways for our nation to develop and implement programs of clean energy education, spanning K-12 through advanced degrees, workforce and continuing education, and public energy literacy. It will also foster institutional partnerships necessary to develop and sustain clean energy education programs, creating a pathway towards the goal of nationwide energy literacy.
 
Following the workshop, a comprehensive report with conclusions and recommendations will be delivered to the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and other agencies.
 
“In addressing our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and identifying alternatives, it’s essential that American citizens understand the issues,” said Thomas W. Peterson, assistant director of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Engineering. “The Clean Energy Education workshop brings together a cross-section of stakeholders in this area to recommend next steps in developing a more clean-energy-literate citizenry.”
 
The morning sessions, held in the Illini Union Rooms A-B, will begin at 8:30 a.m. and are open to the public.  See www.cleanenergy.illinois.edu for more information about Clean Energy Education and www.cleanenergy.illinois.edu/workshop-details for the workshop agenda.