September 19, 2013

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In Boston, Women (and Men) Gather Today to Celebrate Clean Energy Achievements

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy and MIT will host the second “C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium.” This annual meeting’s goal is to provide a venue for women who work in clean energy to gather together and share their experiences.

By Melissa C. Lott

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy and MIT will host the second "C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium." This annual meeting's goal is to provide a venue for women who work in clean energy to gather together and share their experiences. Panels will focus on clean energy topics ranging from energy innovation to advancements in the developing world with speeches on U.S. Energy Policy and the challenges that the world's energy systems face today.

Those who can't attend in person can watch (for free) via live webcast.

The goal of the U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) program is to advance the careers and leadership of professional women in the field of clean energy. Its male and female Ambassadors work on recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in clean energy careers. And, each year at the C3E symposium, awards are given to mid-career women who are raising the bar in their niche of the clean energy world.

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Last year, one of these awards went to Laura Stachel, whose solar suitcase is saving lives in clinics around Africa. This year, a new group of women will be recognized for their contributions.

The group that will attend this event is only a tiny portion of the people currently working to advance clean energy. Below are some examples of women who are making big impacts in clean energy around the globe.

1. Sita Adhikari- Sita helps women in Nepal become economically productive and independent through a women’s savings and credit cooperative and her work with Empower Generation. This non-profit helps women start their own solar lighting companies, bringing light to households without reliable energy supplies in Nepal.

2. Lorie Wigle- General Manager of Intel’s eco-Technology office, currently on a one-year assignment at McAfee to lead their work to build new and innovative ways to secure the electricity grid in the transition to a grid with a more sustainable environmental footprint and smarter technologies.

3. Angela Belcher - MIT Professor, inspired by abalone shells. Dr. Belcher is blending biology and engineering to create genetically-coded batteries. In essence, helping nature to grow batteries.

4. Sara Volz - 18 years old, working on algae biofuels. Sara asked her parents for flasks for Christmas so she could start growing algae in her room. In 2013, she won the Intel Science Talent Search and its award of $100,000 in honor of her work.

Related posts:

  1. "Supercharge your cell phone - California teen invents her way to a better cell phone battery" - July 16, 2013

  2. "Entrepreneurs are bringing light to Nepal - and you" - April 16, 2013

  3. "Savings lives with a solar suitcase" - March 26, 2013

Photo Credit: Photo of Dr. Angela Belcher by Donna Coveney courtesy of MIT and used with permission.

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