SIUE School of Engineering Hosts Energy Symposium
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering is hosting its first SIUE Energy Symposium at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27 in the Morris University Center’s Mississippi-Illinois Room. The day will focus upon energy topics, and awareness of alternative and clean energy sources.
“Our goal is to create an annual fall event and be the first institution that comes to mind when people talk about energy and sustainability topics in the Greater St. Louis area,” said Serdar Celik, PhD, associate professor of mechanical engineering in the School of Engineering. “We hope to increase understanding of regional and global energy issues, and promote awareness on various energy topics.”
The afternoon begins with a poster session featuring presentations on alternative energy resources, followed by a debate from 2-3 p.m. A networking hour closes the day.
From an original pool of 14 teams debating alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, nuclear, biomass and geothermal, two finalists will debate geothermal vs. wind. Three SIUE senior mechanical engineering students will present the case for geothermal energy: Allen Bilbruck, of Carrolton, Pratik Lamsal, of Kathmandu, Nepal, and Tyler Schlecht, of South Roxana. Another three SIUE senior mechanical engineering students will present the case for wind energy: Lane Davis, of Mendon, Nathaniel Kirby and Kurtis Nemsky, of Edwardsville.
The debate is open to the public, and individuals from different fields including political offices, higher education administration, representatives from Chambers of Commerce, and energy professionals from the corporate world are invited to attend to promote awareness on energy topics. Representatives from higher education, alternative energy, corporate leadership, public utilities, energy consultants and environmental agencies will serve as debate judges.
“With the increase in both global population and industrialization, our energy needs have become quite evident in the past two decades,” Celik said. “Increasing energy consumption brings the challenges of energy supply and demand, energy security, and environmental concerns. Awareness is the first step to managing these challenges for a greener and safer future.”
For more information, contact Celik in the SIUE Department of Mechanical Engineering at scelik@siue.edu.
Photo: Serdar Celik, PhD, associate professor of mechanical engineering in the SIUE School of Engineering
