FreshTracks recently attended the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering (VASE) Green Initiatives for Vermont conference on September 23, 2008 at UVM.  VASE kicked the event off by awarding 2 Vermont teachers with Science Teacher of the Year Awards, then hosted a panel featuring:

• David Japikse, Chairman of Concepts NREC

• Jito Coleman - President of Distributed Energy Systems; Vermont Apollo Alliance

• Judy Allard - High School Science Teacher, VASE Affiliate Member

• Domenico Grasso - Dean of Mathematics and Engineering, UVM

• Richard Valentinetti – Director, Air Pollution Control Division, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation

Jito Coleman spoke about the job creation possible through a focus on green economic development, noting that 10 years ago, the wind industry in Germany was virtually non-existent, and now there are 50,000 people employed in this sector.  While Jito shared that he is sometimes frustrated with how slowly we are mobilizing as a society around the need for clean energy, he can also point to a few major successes seen during his lifetime that resulted in a major impact on the  human population, namely the Clean Water Act, The Ozone depletion being addressed and reversed, and awareness and legislation promoted around tobacco prevention.  Jito’s belief is that our collective spirit can have great impact, and that we should focus on what each of us can do locally to impart change.

David Japiske from Concepts NREC, noted that his company’s development of turbomachinery technologies result in the discovery of new ways to recover and localize energy.  David has found that his employees enjoy working on those projects which not only present a mental challenge, but also those that have a common “green” goal, which has been an asset to the company in attracting and retaining talent. 

Judy Allard suggested that we have opportunities to get kids interested in science here in Vermont, but that we need to do a better job exposing students to the excitement of the field.  She noted that the Montshire Museum and ECHO are great resources for us all, especially students, but that teachers need supplemental education and continuing support to effectively focus on the discipline and instill a sense of stewardship for the environment in their students, and to develop the next generation of scientists here in our state. 

Dean Grasso focused many of his comments on the efforts at UVM, including teaching engineers how to be creative, and not think about how to get a job, but rather, how to create jobs.  He also noted that there is a need to build infrastructure here in Vermont that will attract businesses, given his belief that research enterprise will pay back tenfold in terms of entrepreneurial activity and job growth.  He noted that UVM’s Engineering School has focused its efforts on Complex Systems, with Dean Grasso believing that Vermont has an opportunity to build a competitive advantage in this broad based, creative and dynamic field.  To read more about Complex Systems at UVM, please click here: UVM Complex Systems.