2008 Woodie Awards
Go 'green' in Springfield
Shalini Jayarama, Collegian Correspondent
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: News
The recently announced partnership between the University of Massachusetts and the Greater Springfield area has resulted in the first annual Clean Energy Connections Conference and Opportunity Fair, which will be held this Saturday, Nov. 22 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.
The event, which is organized by the UMass Amherst Office of Research Liaison and Development and sponsored by several entities such as WGBY and Greendustry Park, will feature a variety of programs. They'll include speakers, panel discussions and over 30 area employers during the opportunity fair. These will serve to inform attendees of the "green" jobs, industries and economy that the present and future hold.
The keynote speaker, Bracken Hendricks, co-founder of Apollo Alliance and a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, will be discussing the numerous benefits of a clean-energy economy. Hendricks recently worked with UMass economist Robert Pollin to identify the employment benefits a clean-energy economy would provide as a part of a study entitled "Green Recovery."
Pollin will also be speaking at the conference. In addition to founding and co-directing the Political Economy Research Institute, Pollin has published research on ways a "green" economy can benefit the American public.
UMass graduate student Ryan Harb will also be speaking about the new Green Building program, which is a non-thesis master's degree program with courses belonging to a variety of departments.
Harb stated he will discuss the "different projects [the program] is working on research-wise".
UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski, who recently expressed his support for the UMass-Greater Springfield area partnership, looks forward to the fair and thinks it's a "great opportunity."
"[The fair is] one way that we can get people thinking about how they can participate in the clean energy economy," said Blaguszewski. "This is a good example of how UMass experts can get people to think about the possibilities."
The event, which is organized by the UMass Amherst Office of Research Liaison and Development and sponsored by several entities such as WGBY and Greendustry Park, will feature a variety of programs. They'll include speakers, panel discussions and over 30 area employers during the opportunity fair. These will serve to inform attendees of the "green" jobs, industries and economy that the present and future hold.
The keynote speaker, Bracken Hendricks, co-founder of Apollo Alliance and a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, will be discussing the numerous benefits of a clean-energy economy. Hendricks recently worked with UMass economist Robert Pollin to identify the employment benefits a clean-energy economy would provide as a part of a study entitled "Green Recovery."
Pollin will also be speaking at the conference. In addition to founding and co-directing the Political Economy Research Institute, Pollin has published research on ways a "green" economy can benefit the American public.
UMass graduate student Ryan Harb will also be speaking about the new Green Building program, which is a non-thesis master's degree program with courses belonging to a variety of departments.
Harb stated he will discuss the "different projects [the program] is working on research-wise".
UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski, who recently expressed his support for the UMass-Greater Springfield area partnership, looks forward to the fair and thinks it's a "great opportunity."
"[The fair is] one way that we can get people thinking about how they can participate in the clean energy economy," said Blaguszewski. "This is a good example of how UMass experts can get people to think about the possibilities."
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