**For Immediate Release**
Stanford Students Organize “Energy Crossroads” to Address Global Clean-Energy Issues
STANFORD, California, Feb 16, 2007
Stanford University will host a high profile, interdisciplinary conference March 1-3 offering fresh perspectives on the future of clean energy. Distinguished speakers include New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, former CIA Director Robert James Woolsey, partners from top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital firms, and leading researchers on energy policy and technology.
The groundbreaking Energy Crossroads Conference, organized by Stanford student groups, will kick off Thursday, March 1, with a Cleantech Career Fair and Technology Expo in White Plaza, followed by two days of panel discussions on clean energy solutions, ways to make energy efficiency and renewables competitive, and development of the international clean energy market. Sessions will take place at various auditoriums on campus.
The event is open to the public, but registration is required due to anticipated demand. To register, go to www.energycrossroads.org.
Student organizers emphasize that Energy Crossroads – driven by concerns for the environment, economic growth and national security – is dedicated to promoting a coalition of policymakers, engineers, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, academics, and activists. They have worked for months to bring leaders from these various fields together in an environment conducive to the exchange of ideas and collaboration.
“A crossroads is a place where paths converge and new directions are chosen,” said Lyuba Wolf, a Stanford senior and director of the conference. “We see Energy Crossroads as a meeting of the minds across disciplines and across sectors. If these powerful forces work together, we believe we can make great strides toward clean energy solutions.”
Wolf noted that the students behind Energy Crossroads “come from a diverse spectrum of academic disciplines, ranging from engineering to international studies.”
Speakers also represent a diverse group, and in addition to Friedman and Woolsey will include Ralph Cavanagh, Natural Resources Defense Council Senior Attorney, Steve Westwell, Vice President of BP Alternative Energy, and Dr. Steve Chu, Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
On Saturday, students will gather for a policy competition hosted by the Stanford University Chapter of The Roosevelt Institution, a national student policy think tank.
Conference sponsors include Stanford’s Office of the President, Woods Institute for the Environment, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency, Hoover Institution, School of Earth Sciences, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford Center on Ethics, ASSU Speaker’s Bureau, and Business Association of Stanford Engineering Students. Other sponsors are Mohr Davidow Ventures, a venture capital firm, and The 11th Hour Project, a Silicon Valley nonprofit organization focused on solutions to climate change issues.
For inquiries and press passes contact:
Mikhal Sofer
(415) 203-1528
msofer@stanford.edu