News
ENLARGE
KEYSTONE — Ashleigh Joplin often feels her voice is hushed because she is in high school.
But that is not the case this week. In fact, Tuesday morning her thoughts on energy efficiency were heard by a panel of leaders in the energy industry as well as government officials and representatives from non-profit organizations.
“We realize we are in a crisis and we need to propose change for the future before it is too late,” said Joplin, 17, of New Orleans.
She is one of the 38 math and science students from across the country meeting for the Youth Policy Summit at The Keystone Center this week. The high school juniors and seniors arrived from various specialized schools to tackle the topic of energy efficiency.
“This program says a lot about who we actually are,” Joplin said as fellow students, Kendall Spears, Michael Robson and Katie Adams, all 17, nodded in agreement.
These four seniors have all researched the topic and passionately hope to raise awareness in their hometowns about it, using skills they will learn this week. And for Spears, who plans on becoming a robotics engineer, he will carry the knowledge into his field.
Also, while these teens may one day be shaping future policy, the message they want the public to get now is that individuals can make a difference in energy use. They want people to pay attention to their energy consumption and play their part in saving the future, the students said.
“Be aware of what you’re doing and what you’re consuming,” Joplin cautioned.
<b>Making their voices heard across the nation</b>
Before arriving in Keystone, the students worked on separate pieces of the energy puzzle and wrote research papers about the topic during the spring semester, explained Jeremy Kranowitz, senior associate with The Keystone Center who is working with the students. Now, they will take that knowledge and use it to explore the topic together and devise a plan.
Throughout the next few days, the students will learn about mediation, negotiation skills and coming up with solutions that satisfy people on all sides in the industry, Kranowitz said. In the end, they will turn their research and discussions into public policy recommendations that would make America a leader in energy efficiency during the next 50 years — a paper that will then be circulated to more than 400 leaders and policy makers in industry, government and education.
During the panel discussion, Kranowitz talked the students through a vision exercise, first asking them to go through a list of the energy they used Saturday as they made the trip to Colorado.
“There was a lot of energy used from the moment you woke up to the point you got to Keystone,” he said pointing out everything from the electronic equipment in their rooms and the utilities in their homes to the plane ride. Afterward, the students imagined what energy use would look like 30 years in the future.
Some of the ideas they came up with included green building as the norm, more recycling, better mass transportation and a shift in cultural values to see the importance of energy conservation, efficiency and reuse.
Leaders in the industry from energy companies talked to the students about some current initiatives and problems they face as they grapple with this same issue. “We are going to need solutions from efficiency and supply sides ... to tackle this problem,” said Art Wiese, a representative of API Energy.
<b>Youth Policy Summit crossing generations</b>
This is the fourth year for the Youth Policy Summit, which is a collaboration between The Keystone Center and The National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology.
The program helps the students take what they’ve learned to a new level, Christine Scanlan, senior vice president and chief operating officer for The Keystone Center and Keystone Science School, said, adding that they hope to roll it out to public schools such as Summit High School in the future.
“It’s something that brings science alive for students. ... The issues we deal with are cross-generational,” she said, giving the example of obesity as a past topic.
Janesse Brewer, senior associate with The Keystone Center, added, “It’s working with real life leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow.”
Lory Pounder can be reached at (970) 668-4628, or at lpounder@summitdaily.com.
But that is not the case this week. In fact, Tuesday morning her thoughts on energy efficiency were heard by a panel of leaders in the energy industry as well as government officials and representatives from non-profit organizations.
“We realize we are in a crisis and we need to propose change for the future before it is too late,” said Joplin, 17, of New Orleans.
She is one of the 38 math and science students from across the country meeting for the Youth Policy Summit at The Keystone Center this week. The high school juniors and seniors arrived from various specialized schools to tackle the topic of energy efficiency.
“This program says a lot about who we actually are,” Joplin said as fellow students, Kendall Spears, Michael Robson and Katie Adams, all 17, nodded in agreement.
These four seniors have all researched the topic and passionately hope to raise awareness in their hometowns about it, using skills they will learn this week. And for Spears, who plans on becoming a robotics engineer, he will carry the knowledge into his field.
Also, while these teens may one day be shaping future policy, the message they want the public to get now is that individuals can make a difference in energy use. They want people to pay attention to their energy consumption and play their part in saving the future, the students said.
“Be aware of what you’re doing and what you’re consuming,” Joplin cautioned.
<b>Making their voices heard across the nation</b>
Before arriving in Keystone, the students worked on separate pieces of the energy puzzle and wrote research papers about the topic during the spring semester, explained Jeremy Kranowitz, senior associate with The Keystone Center who is working with the students. Now, they will take that knowledge and use it to explore the topic together and devise a plan.
Throughout the next few days, the students will learn about mediation, negotiation skills and coming up with solutions that satisfy people on all sides in the industry, Kranowitz said. In the end, they will turn their research and discussions into public policy recommendations that would make America a leader in energy efficiency during the next 50 years — a paper that will then be circulated to more than 400 leaders and policy makers in industry, government and education.
During the panel discussion, Kranowitz talked the students through a vision exercise, first asking them to go through a list of the energy they used Saturday as they made the trip to Colorado.
“There was a lot of energy used from the moment you woke up to the point you got to Keystone,” he said pointing out everything from the electronic equipment in their rooms and the utilities in their homes to the plane ride. Afterward, the students imagined what energy use would look like 30 years in the future.
Some of the ideas they came up with included green building as the norm, more recycling, better mass transportation and a shift in cultural values to see the importance of energy conservation, efficiency and reuse.
Leaders in the industry from energy companies talked to the students about some current initiatives and problems they face as they grapple with this same issue. “We are going to need solutions from efficiency and supply sides ... to tackle this problem,” said Art Wiese, a representative of API Energy.
<b>Youth Policy Summit crossing generations</b>
This is the fourth year for the Youth Policy Summit, which is a collaboration between The Keystone Center and The National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology.
The program helps the students take what they’ve learned to a new level, Christine Scanlan, senior vice president and chief operating officer for The Keystone Center and Keystone Science School, said, adding that they hope to roll it out to public schools such as Summit High School in the future.
“It’s something that brings science alive for students. ... The issues we deal with are cross-generational,” she said, giving the example of obesity as a past topic.
Janesse Brewer, senior associate with The Keystone Center, added, “It’s working with real life leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow.”
Lory Pounder can be reached at (970) 668-4628, or at lpounder@summitdaily.com.
