TUESDAY: UC Energy Conference in Cincinnati for Energy Experts, Educators, Consumers and Non-Profits

The University of Cincinnati is sponsoring a May 4 downtown energy conference that will include sessions on

• Green Energy Ohio
• Energy Technology
• K–12 Curriculum
• Energy Careers
• Non-Profits

“This conference is one of the best-kept secrets at UC,” says Ray Miller, UC utilities superintendent and chair of the conference. “Energy is a critical conversation that people in many walks of life need to pay attention to.”

Miller says that the original design of the conference was with the average person on the street in mind.

“Where do you go to get energy information?” Miller asks. He hopes many will come to the

Duke Energy Center on May 4, 2010

.

The conference has five audiences in mind: technical professionals who are interested in the latest developments in the field; K–12 educators who want to integrate energy topics into the curriculum; non-profits who are looking for ways to cut their energy budgets; community members and consumers who are interested in the “greening” of Ohio; and workforce development to encourage energy careers to replace the “greying” of its workers.

Ohio is one of eight pilot states that has been chosen to receive a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a job program that will offset the attrition in the energy industry.

“This untapped labor pool often doesn’t have the resources to dedicate a full year to school to get the certifications necessary to work in the trades,” says Miller. “Part of this program provides assistance with childcare and transportation to get the degree and get them in the jobs they need in the positions that we need filled.” He calls it "lineman bootcamp."

Another track in the Energy Conference highlights a service that UC offers through its students, in the form of student-led energy audits. Their million-dollar

saving

ideas will be shared in the non-profit track.

“Three of the mechanical engineering technology students are working with the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden for their senior project for

Tech Expo

,” Miller says. “They worked out a way to develop a totally integrated biodiesel system so that they can collect the cooking oil and use it to fuel the children’s train at the zoo.” (Tech Expo,

which is open to the public free of charge

, runs concurrent to the Energy Conference at the Duke Energy Center.)

Schedule Overview:

•  9 – 9:45 a.m. Welcome/Opening keynote by Chad Edwards, registered architect, urban designer and sustainable consultant with a focus on aesthetic, experiential and environmental relationships. Edwards is a member of the Hamilton County Climate Initiative, Agenda 360 and the Communities of the Future Advisory Committee. Chad has been invited speak to U.S. Representatives and Senators on the importance of sustainable design.  He currently serves as the President of the Cincinnati Regional Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and is a member of the Business Courier’s 2009 Forty Under 40 class. He is a principal of emersion DESIGN, which became the fourth architecture and first architecture/ engineering firm to have a LEED Platinum office and is currently assisting three clients to become Net Zero Energy.
• 10 a.m. – noon Concurrent sessions
• noon–2 p.m. Featured Presentation: Alternative Energy Solutions Presented by, Bill Spratley, Executive Director, Green Energy Ohio
• Lunch/tour of Tech Expo
• 2 – 4 p.m. Concurrent sessions

Register Today!

Sponsorship/Exhibits

Energy Conference from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursday, May 4, 2010, at the Duke Energy Center, 525 Elm St.,  downtown Cincinnati.

Anyone interested attending the May 4 energy conference or interested in training for an energy-industry career but unable to attend the May 4 presentations can contact Ray Miller, UC’s utilities superintendent, raymond.miller@uc.edu, 513-556-0252.

Shuttles

will be available to get you to and from the convention center easily. Three shuttles will be running on May 4. A schedule of shuttle routes and times can be found

here

.

There are also 12 business and industry exhibits by the college’s corporate sponsors and 30 exhibits in the Energy Conference devoted to energy trends, careers and educational resources.

Fees

$125: General public (includes admission to 2010 Technology Exposition and Energy Conference, opening/lunch keynote addresses and a box lunch)

$50: Per person fee for faculty and staff from UC and other educational institutions (includes admission to 2010 Technology Exposition and Energy Conference, opening/lunch keynote addresses and a box lunch)

$75: Non-Profits (includes admission to 2010 Technology Exposition and Energy Conference, opening/lunch keynote addresses and a box lunch)

$25: Per person hot breakfast buffet (optional)

$30: Lunch and Learn Session ONLY (includes box lunch)

Students are free of charge!

(does not include a breakfast or lunch)