Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Where is the conference held?
A. On Stanford campus. Transportation will be provided for all trips & visits off campus.

Q. What can I expect to learn from this conference?
A. This unique opportunity will introduce you to the breadth and depth of energy expertise at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Through interactions with leading faculty and graduate students conducting innovative energy research, networking, fun activities, and field trips to energy-related facilities, you can enhance your Stanford education.

Q. Are there any prerequisites to participate in this conference?
A. No prerequisites or a technical background are required to participate in this program. Graduate and professional school students from all backgrounds with an interest in energy are encouraged to apply. The conference speakers will cover energy research at Stanford and why certain energy issues may be important to understand. If students would like to learn more depth about technical aspects, they are welcome to interact with the speakers one-on-one after their talks or during any of the networking opportunities.

Q: If I am unable to commit for the entire week of the conference, may I attend certain sessions only?
A. No. Networking among the faculty and graduate students interested in energy is an essential component of this conference experience and enrollment is limited. Therefore, we are only accepting applications from incoming and current Stanford graduate and professional school students who are able to participate in the entire week of activities that run Sept. 9-13, 8:30 am – 8:00 pm.

Q: How much does the conference cost?
A. The conference is free.

Through the Stanford Graduate Summer School site, you are able to apply for this week-long conference for free. If accepted, a $100 deposit will be required for you to officially register for the event. The deposit is to ensure that participants are committed to attending the entire conference (Sept. 9-13, 8:30 am – 8:00 pm) taking place across the Stanford campus. Upon your completion of the program, the $100 deposit will be refunded to you.

Q: After I apply online, when will I know if I have been accepted into the program?
A: You will be notified via email if you have been accepted, and you will be asked to submit a $100 deposit to confirm that you will be attending the conference's week of activities. Deposit is due June 14.

Q: If I do not have a checking account, how can I pay the deposit?
We request a $100 refundable deposit to secure your commitment to the conference. Once you have attended all 5 days of the conference, your deposit will be refunded. International students may send a cashier's check or traveler's check if they have not yet established a domestic checking account with an American bank.

Q: If I send my deposit check in and then find I can't attend the conference after all, can I get a refund?
A: Deposits are non-refundable, except possibly under very exceptional circumstances. Participants who attend all 5 days of the conference will receive deposit refunds.

Q: I am an international student and required to attend a workshop on Maintaining Your Legal Status. Will it be a problem if I miss a few hours of the conference to attend this workshop?
A: This workshop is scheduled multiple times during the weeks before and after this conference and you should go to one of those. Dates and times of the workshop can be found here  http://icenter.stanford.edu/events/imm_workshops.html#legal. We do not anticipate our participants will have a scheduling conflict with this workshop.

Q: I am required to attend an orientation session in my own department for a part of the conference week. What should I do?
A: We are aware that new students in the Graduate School of Business (GSB) are required to check in. The organizers of the Energy conference are not aware of any other schools requiring their new graduate students to attend during the conference week. Please contact the organizers at swang24@stanford.edu if you believe you have a schedule conflict.

Q. My housing will not be ready until school starts. If I am accepted into the program, are there any other housing options for the week of the conference (September 9-13)?
A: On campus, check out:

  • Student Housing Service: If you let them know you will be arriving early, your housing may be available before the start of the conference.
  • SUPost: - short-term sublets.

Off campus, check out:

  • Community Housing Service
  • Places4Students service (Stanford email address required. If you don't have that yet, please get access through the Community Housing Service site.)
  • Resources for Finding Housing - links to Craigslist.org, SUPost.com, and other local sources for rentals.

If you have difficulty in finding housing for the week of the conference, please contact us at  energyatstanfordandslac@stanford.edu.

Q: What is SLAC?
SLAC's full name is the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. SLAC is a US Department of Energy lab operated by Stanford University. SLAC was established in 1962 as a particle physics research center, and is now a multipurpose laboratory for astrophysics, photon science, accelerator and particle physics research. The main accelerator is 2 miles long—the longest linear accelerator in the world—and has been operational since 1966.

SLAC is home to two x-ray light source facilities: The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) and the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). The SSRL is primarily used for materials science and biology experiments which take advantage of the high-intensity, monochromatic synchrotron radiation emitted by the stored electron beam to study the structure of molecules. In the early 1990s, an independent electron injector was built for this storage ring, allowing it to operate independently of the main linear accelerator.

The LCLS is a free electron laser facility that utilizes the last 1/3 of the original linear accelerator at SLAC. The laser uses hard X-rays with wavelengths similar in width to an atom. This enables researchers to take "snapshots" of objects on the nearly atomic level before the samples are destroyed by the intensity of the beam itself.

Questions? Contact us at energyatstanfordandslac@stanford.edu.