Former U.S. Senator Paul Simon to keynote second Chicago/Midwest Renewable Energy Workshop at IIT on June 24-25
The Bush administration has acknowledged that human activities are contributing to global warming and that dramatic climatic changes will occur as a result. Political turmoil is contributing to rising prices at the gas pumps and concerns about our vulnerability to outside pressures. Many are searching for ways to ensure a cleaner, more secure energy future.
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is hosting the second Chicago/Midwest Renewable Energy Workshop on Monday and Tuesday, June 24 and 25. The workshop will bring together industry, academic, government and not-for-profit leaders in an effort to position the Chicago/Midwest area as the epicenter for the development of clean energy technologies.
Former U.S. Senator Paul Simon will provide the opening keynote for this year’s workshop, which will build on last year’s program of showcasing Chicago/Midwest renewable energy activities and formulating strategies to overcome the considerable challenges to these technologies.
“We decided to hold the workshop because here in Chicago, and the Midwest, there are many companies interested in renewable energy, and by bringing them all together, we can discuss ways to synergize our efforts and share ideas,” says Said Al-Hallaj, associate research professor of chemical and environmental engineering at IIT and the main organizer of the event.
The workshop presentations are clustered in four areas: renewable energy activities and funding sources; fuel cells and hydrogen; breaking down the barriers for renewable energy technologies, and business opportunities in renewable energy.
Sponsors of the workshop include BP, ComEd, TurbodynamX, Proton Energy Systems, Department of Environment at the City of Chicago, Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, and Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.
The workshop will be held on the Main Campus of Illinois Institute of Technology. Complete information and online registration is available at www.iitcare.org. Inquiries may also be directed to Tosin Aluko at 312.567.3970 or at alukoba@iit.edu.
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting technological university awarding degrees in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, as well as architecture, psychology, design, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum prepares the university’s 6,200 students for leadership roles in an increasingly complex and culturally diverse global workplace.
