NEWS
& EVENTS

July 03, 2008

Contact: Amy Hewes
College of Engineering
805-756-6402
ahewes@calpoly.edu

Cal Poly Graduate Student Receives Sustainable Energy Fellowship

Sean Kaylor, a materials engineering graduate student, was selected this spring from a highly competitive pool from around the country as a Sustainable Energy Fellow.

Kaylor began the year-long fellowship process at an intensive week-long program to explore technologies, policies and economics of sustainable energy held May 24-31 at Duke University.

Researchers from Arizona State University, Cornell, Duke, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Michigan designed and direct the Fellowship to be a unique educational and research experience for students to address the global need for the use of energy reduction designs supplemented by renewable energy technologies. During week-long program, students were exposed to research and education in energy production, conversion, storage and sources that are environmentally friendly and renewable such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal.

Jay Golden, director of Arizona State University's National Center of Excellence for SMART Innovations and co-director of the Sustainable Energy Fellowship program states: "This is a great venue to expose some of the nation's most talented students to sustainability and sustainable engineering research. We also have the opportunity to interact and position our Fellows with some of the leading industrialists, politicians and thought leaders in energy, sustainability and climate change."

Golden, sees an urgent and growing need for this kind of transdisciplinary training: "For the first time in history, the world is predominantly urban and growing more urban every day. This growing population is primarily served by non-renewable energy sources which can have adverse impacts to the environment while also being susceptible to price fluctuations and availability."

The Fellowship chose 40 students from 20 universities. Among the Universities represented in addition to Cal Poly are: ASU, Duke, Cornell, MIT and Michigan, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Penn State, Georgetown, Columbia, Brandeis, Smith College, University of North Carolina, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, USC, and Virginia Tech.

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