The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-led U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) program has announced that the Texas A&M Energy Institute is joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative (MITEI) and the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy to support implementation of the C3E program to advance women’s participation and leadership in clean energy.
According to the DOE, the new collaboration with the Texas A&M Energy Institute will broaden the geographic reach and diversity representation of the C3E program and help further promote women’s leadership in the energy sector.
“At the Texas A&M Energy Institute, we are dedicated to discovering energy solutions that improve the quality of life for all people,” comments Stratos Pistikopoulos, interim co-director and deputy director of the Texas A&M Energy Institute. “Through a partnership within the Clean Energy Education & Empowerment initiative, we believe that we can encourage positive change that will bring awareness and recognition to the significant role that women play in conceiving, designing and implementing a clean energy future for Texas, the United States and the world.”
Key elements of the program include the C3E Ambassadors, senior leaders who serve as role models and advocates for women in clean energy, and the annual C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium. Each symposium honors winners of the C3E Awards, which recognize the leadership and achievements of mid-career women working to advance clean energy.
Over the past six years, the DOE and MITEI have collaborated on the planning and implementation of the annual awards program and symposium, with the Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy joining the collaboration in 2016. That responsibility will now be shared with the Texas A&M Energy Institute, which will host the event on a rotating basis and host this year’s ambassadors retreat. The seventh annual symposium will be held at Stanford University in December, and the eighth symposium will be at Texas A&M in 2019.
“MITEI is thrilled for Texas A&M Energy Institute’s collaboration in the U.S. Clean Energy, Education & Empowerment program,” says MITEI’s executive director, Martha Broad. “Their support will help even more women advance and achieve recognition for their clean energy careers while expanding the vibrant C3E network.”
