Student-led Event Aims to Help Others Learn about Careers in Sustainability
A lot is written and said about sustainability, but how does the popular topic translate into employment opportunities for today’s students?
The NC State University Net Impact Chapter has arranged a one-day Sustainability Interchange conference, with panel discussions and keynote presenters who aim to help answer that question.
The event, created by students for students at NC State and surrounding colleges and universities, will be held Saturday, October 15, 2011, from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the NC State McKimmon Center, at 1101 Gorman Street in Raleigh, N.C. There is no charge to attend but registration is required and may be completed online. Registration is open until Oct. 13. Participants are encouraged to register for all sessions, but may also select individual topics of interest. Lunch will be provided.
“This conference was created to provide students a chance to see the broad scope of activity and employment opportunities available in sustainability in the Triangle region and to talk with those who have built sustainability related careers,” said Zach Tinkler, MBA candidate in Poole College’s Jenkins Graduate School.
Net Impact is a global student organization with local chapters typically based in business schools. NC State’s chapter, based in Poole College, seeks to educate all interested students about sustainable business models as well as to help connect students with local sustainability-oriented professionals.
Chapter officers created the Sustainability Interchange with the goal of helping students in all academic programs learn about the diversity of career opportunities available in this field.
“Our goals are to education and inspire students to get involved in sustainability,” Tinkler said. “We particularly are reaching out to undergraduate students, as we would like to see them become involved in Net Impact as a means of learning more about how they individually and through their careers can make an impact.”
Keynote speakers include Steve Walker, environmental sustainability manager at Burt’s Bees, and Alex Mitrovic, mechanical lead and energy manager at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics.
Discussions in the panel sessions will cover what universities and municipalities are doing in the area of sustainability, innovation in the sustainable economy, and energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Presenters and Panel Moderators
Following are the scheduled panel session moderators and speakers. Additional details are available at the NC State Net Impact blog. Additional information is available online at the NCSU Net Impact blog.
- Sustainability in Universities. Moderator: David Dean, outreach and communications coordinator, NC State University Sustainability Office. Panelists: Tavey McDaniel Capps, environmental sustainability director, Duke University; Lindsay Batchelor, sustainability program coordinator, NC State University
- Innovation in the Sustainable Economy. Moderator: Jim Roberts, director of membership and fundraising, Center for Innovation for NanoBiotechnology (COIN). Panelists: Kenneth E. Russell, Ph.D., enterprise strategy, Cisco Systems Inc.; Griffith Kundahl, chief executive officer, Center of Innovation in NanoBiotechnology
- Sustainability in Municipalities. Moderator: Suzanne Walker, energy manager, City of Raleigh. Panelists: Emily Barrett, sustainability manager, Town of Cary, N.C.; Tobin Freid, sustainability manager, Durham City-County; Cindy Holmes, sustainability analyst, City of Raleigh, N.C.
- Energy Efficiency: Moderator. Isaac Panzarella, Clean Energy extension specialist, North Carolina Solar Center. Panelists: Barry Wilhelm, CEM, CEP, Schneider Electric; Kevin Overcash, business development manager, Piedmont Service Group; Maria Kingery, co-founder and president, Southern Energy Management
- Renewable Energy. Moderator: Rich Crowley, manager, market research and spatial analysis, North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA). Panelist: Sam Yenne, CEO, Maverick Biofuels
