September 9, 2008

Purdue Green Week poster competition open to students, faculty, the community

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Purdue's Energy Center, Center for the Environment and Purdue Climate Change Research Center are co-sponsoring the competition as part of a Discovery Park Green Week program. The program spans two days and includes a panel discussion and open forum to discuss current issues in climate, the environment and energy technology.

The poster session will begin at 4 p.m., followed by a venture capital and green technology expert presentation at 5:30 p.m. and an awards ceremony at 6:15 p.m. All events will be in Stewart Center, Room 214ABC.

"The aim of the program is to spur discussion not only among experts in the field but also to include the general public," said Paul Shepson, director of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center and head of the Department of Chemistry. "The challenges we face are very complex, and we need to elucidate the advantages and disadvantages of various options and strategies available to us. We hope the poster session and other program events will catalyze discussions that will continue beyond Green Week."

 Posters should reflect an understanding of research and policy in the areas of climate, environment and energy technology alternatives, and may focus on a particular topic or technology. Awards will be presented for three divisions: undergraduate, graduate and unlimited.  The unlimited category is open to anyone, including community members, faculty and staff. The submission deadline is Sept. 10. Winners in each division will receive a $250 prize.

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Examples of topics might include research into converting coal to liquid fuels, an investigation of biomass sources for energy production, or an industrial ecology approach that would mimic ecological systems to produce energy, said Brent Ladd, learning and engagement program coordinator for Purdue's Center for the Environment.

"The unlimited category is a great opportunity for people in the Lafayette community to present lessons learned from alternatives they have personally implemented," he said.

A program preceding the awards ceremony will include guest speakers David Danielson of General Catalyst Partners, who focuses on investing in advanced materials and clean technology businesses, and Anand Daniel, senior associate at Flybridge Capital Partners, whose investment interests and expertise include semiconductor, telecommunication, wireless and energy-related technologies.

Danielson performed his doctoral work on clean energy materials at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has a background in the semiconductor industry. He is the founder of the MIT Energy Club and co-founder of the MIT Energy Conference and the New England Clean Energy Council. For his work toward building a strong multidisciplinary energy community at MIT, Danielson was awarded the Karl Taylor Compton Prize, MIT’s highest award presented to a student. He also sits on the scientific advisory board of the Chesonis Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization devoted to supporting fundamental research in the field of clean energy.

Daniel earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue and a MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He was the managing director of the Ninth Annual MIT Venture Capital Conference, co-founder of the MIT Venture Capital Competition and an organizer of the first MIT Energy Conference. Daniel also has focused on semiconductor design for Intel's microprocessor products and helped formulate the strategy for investments in next-generation high-performance computing ecosystem for Intel Capital.

More information is available on the Green Week home page at https://www.purdue.edu/sustainability .

Green Week is being organized by the College of Engineering, including its Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Global Engineering Program, as well as the School of Mechanical Engineering, the Center for the Environment, Energy Center, Office of the Provost and the Purdue Climate Change Research Center.

Writer: Elizabeth Gardner, (765) 494-2081, ekgardner@purdue.edu

Sources: Paul Shepson, (765) 494-7441, pshepson@purdue.edu

Brent Ladd, (765) 494-1949, laddb@purdue.edu

Additional contacts:

John Bickham, (765) 494-5146, bickham@purdue.edu

Jay Gore, (765) 494-2122, gore@purdue.edu   

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Journalists who want to interview guest speakers or need more information about Green Week can contact Elizabeth Gardner, (765) 494-2081, ekgardner@purdue.edu , or Judi Austin, (765) 494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu

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