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David Sandalow, Acting Under Secretary of the U.S. Energy Department
Acting Under Secretary David Sandalow giving closing Remarks at the Women in Clean Energy Symposium.
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: Fri, 2012-09-28 18:08
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David Sandalow, Acting Under Secretary of the U.S. Energy Department
Acting Under Secretary David Sandalow giving closing Remarks at the Women in Clean Energy Symposium.
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 18:08
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Millie Dresselhaus
Dresselhaus accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Women in Clean Energy Symposium.
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 15:28
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Millie Dresselhaus
MIT President L. Rafael Reif presented the award to Dresselhaus, citing her significant accomplishments in developing thermoelectric devices. “Everyone who spends a few minutes with her,” he said, “knows the brilliance of her mind.”
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 15:26
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Millie Dresselhaus
One highlight of the symposium was the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Mildred Dresselhaus, Institute Professor Emerita of Physics and Computer Science and Engineering.
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 15:20
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Melanie Kenderdine with Maggie Downey
C3E Award Winner, Policy & Advocacy
Date taken: 2012-09-28 13:52
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Judy Dorsey
C3E Award Winner, Entrepreneurship & Innovative Business Models
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 13:43
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Laura Stachel
C3E Award Winner, Advancements for the Developing World
Date taken: 2012-09-28 13:33
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Liz Porter
C3E Award Winner, Corporate Implementation
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 13:22
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Tracey Holloway
C3E Award Winner, Education & Mentorship
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 13:04
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Jing Li
C3E Award Winner, Innovation & Technology Development
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 13:11
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Women in Clean Energy Symposium
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 11:13
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H.E. Dipuo Peters - Energy Minister in South Africa
South Africa’s minister of energy, Elizabeth Dipuo Peters, gave a keynote address on women as energy decision makers in Africa. “The development of the clean-energy sector will revolutionize the energy sector,” she said.
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 10:54
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Clean Energy Student Poster Session
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 10:33
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Break at Women in Clean Energy Symposium
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 10:39
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Q&A at Women in Clean Energy Symposium
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 10:21
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Melanie Kenderdine, Executive Director of the MIT Energy Initiative
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 09:32
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Challenges and Opportunities for Energy Policy Panel
Panelists for a discussion on challenges and opportunities for energy policy, from left, Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy; Dian Grueneich, of Dian Grueneich Consulting; MIT Energy Initiative director Ernest Moniz; Lisa Epifani, partner in Van Ness Feldman; and Mary Anne Sullivan, partner in Hogan Lovells.
Image: Justin Knight
Date taken: 2012-09-28 09:36
Cambridge, Massachusetts
What is C3E?
- The Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) women’s initiative was launched by a group of distinguished women, energy ministers, and governments to attract young women to clean energy careers and support their advancement into leadership positions.
“The most important challenge for this generation” is figuring out how to “build a sustainable energy future.”
This was the message from MIT President Emerita Susan Hockfield in her welcome address at the first ever U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Women in Clean Energy Symposium held on MIT’s campus last week.
Moreover, the challenges and stakes for building this clean energy future are such that our society will not be successful if half of the potential workforce is not engaged. This is the key focus of C3E -- an effort to advance the careers and leadership of professional women in the clean energy field. The initiative is led by the U.S. Energy Department in strong partnership with the MIT Energy Initiative.
Last week’s Women in Clean Energy Symposium is one of the pillars of the U.S. C3E program -- bringing together women from all career levels and paths working in clean energy to network and drive ongoing discussions around current issues in the field.
Both the breadth and depth of the day’s agenda accomplished this goal through a series of panel discussions and presentations focused on six key areas: U.S. Energy Policy, Advancements for the Developing World, Energy Technology and Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Innovative Business Models, Corporate Implementation, and Mentorship/Education. The day also offered opportunities to hear and learn from the C3E Ambassadors, a group of distinguished senior professionals who are tremendous role models for all generations.
The highlight of the symposium was the 2012 C3E Award ceremony, recognizing rising women with the potential to make great contributions in the six category thrusts that the symposium’s agenda covered. Each speaker and awardee brought her own unique life story and perspective, emphasizing both the crucial interdisciplinary pathways required for clean energy solutions and the innovative thinking needed to accomplish these goals.
For example, Laura Stachel was honored for her work through We Care Solar in reducing maternal mortality in Africa by providing health workers with reliable lighting, mobile communication, and blood bank refrigeration using portable solar electricity suitcases. Judy Dorsey, another award recipient, helped spearhead Fort ZED, an initiative to create one of the world’s largest active net zero energy districts in my own hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado.
As a woman engineer, the interdisciplinary nature of clean energy first drew me to pursuing a career in the field and continues to inspire me. Not only are technological breakthroughs from scientists and engineers crucial, contributions from professionals in the fields of policy and law, financing and business, and education and sociology are required for the opportunities and challenges in clean energy. This message was reinforced by the speakers and events at the Symposium. C3E is a fantastic initiative and a key step towards realizing the vision of building a clean energy future.
For more on the Women in Clean Energy Symposium, read the MIT News recap: Women's Impact in Clean Energy Is Growing Worldwide.
