One week course for incoming graduate and professional school students interested in energy. Limited enrollment. A background in energy is not required.
Energy Research for the 21st Century
September 8-11, 2015
Interested in energy? Want to meet energy rockstar experts at Stanford? This is one program you do not want to miss!
Jumpstart your energy education at Stanford. Build your personal energy network at Stanford. Learn about current research from over 30 Stanford energy “Rock Star” faculty and expert speakers. Develop a broad perspective on energy. Network and meet Silicon Valley energy entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Visit a local energy company in Silicon Valley.
Energy@Stanford&SLAC is a multi-day conference for incoming Stanford graduate and professional school students interested in energy. This four-day course will allow you to build an interdisciplinary community across campus, visit a local energy company in Silicon Valley, attend two in-depth master classes of your choice, meet Stanford energy faculty, participate in the Energy & Carbon Market Competition, and grow your personal cross-campus network of incoming graduate students. Application window is now open. We are reviewing and accepting students on a rolling basis.
- Who: Up to 125 incoming Stanford graduate and professional school students (returning graduate students early in their studies can still apply)
- Location: On campus
- Dates: Tuesday, September 8th to Friday, September 11th
- Time: 8:30am – 8:00pm (breakfast, lunch, and dinner included)
Enrollment is limited.
A technical or energy background is not required.
This conference is now in its 5th year, and is part of the Stanford Summer Graduate Institute (SGSI). Participants continue to evaluate it highly, as indicated in the article below that reflects feedback from attendees at the first conference held in 2011.
Summer 2011 Conference
More than 120 graduate students attended the first Energy@Stanford & SLAC conference held Sept. 12-16, 2011. The event featured more than 30 presentations on topics ranging from energy-conversion science and technologies to energy policies and commercial challenges. Many of the talks had two parts: One given by a professor, the other by a current graduate student. Attendees hailed from 19 departments across campus. On Sept. 13, the students came to SLAC to learn about research conducted by the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES) and to tour the SLAC site.
“Our goals are to show both incoming and current grad students the breadth of research going on at Stanford and SLAC and to help these students develop an interdisciplinary network of colleagues who are also interested in energy,” said Zhi-Xun Shen, SLAC chief scientist.
Key elements of the event were the nightly dinners, each located at a different site on Stanford’s property: Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, SLAC, Graduate School of Business, Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center and the private home of Lynn Orr, professor of energy resources engineering.
“Most of the participants this year are incoming graduate students,” said Orr, director of the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy (PIE). “Our goal is to give these new students an opportunity to experience the full spectrum of the Stanford energy universe – everything from cutting-edge solar cell technology to climate modeling to the psychology of energy efficiency and much more.
“We also hope to create links among students in lots of disciplines across the campus,” Orr added. “Solving the world’s energy problems will require all their knowledge and skills.”
Attendees were impressed.
“I am amazed at the interdisciplinary thrust here at Stanford,” said Hrishi R. Goel, a first-year master’s student in management science and engineering. “In just a week, I got a taste of all the opportunities available in energy research across all fields – be it pure science, engineering, economics or policy. I would not have figured all this out on my own in a full year of taking courses.”
Hear more from participants in this video.
“It’s wonderful to see all these brilliant students – new and more experienced grad students alike – connecting with each other and with professors,” Shen added. “I believe it will have a lasting positive impact on their careers.”
The Energy@Stanford & SLAC conference is co-sponsored by PIE, SIMES, Global Climate & Energy Project (GCEP), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Office of the Vice Provost of Graduate Education (VPGE).
The conference is part of the Stanford Summer Graduate Institute (SSGI), which consists of 11 noncredit, interdisciplinary conferences sponsored by VPGE.
“These marvelous classes provide a unique opportunity for broad, cross-disciplinary exchange and making new connections across the entire Stanford graduate community,” says the SSGI website.
This article was written by Mike Ross at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
Program Support
ENERGY@STANFORD&SLAC is sponsored by:
Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences
Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy
Stanford Global Climate and Energy Project
Stanford National Renewable Energy Laboratory
