Energizing the Future – Conference Recap
Wake Forest hosted a conference entitled Energizing the Future on February 10th-11th. This conference, designed to promote “contemporary thinking about the future of energy,” was a success in many ways. Dan Fogel, Executive Professor of Strategy at Wake’s Schools of Business, played an integral role in organizing the conference. Dr. Fogel summarized the conference by saying, “we had sessions with corporate leaders that illustrated the deep divides among these leaders about what should be the affordable, reliable, and environmentally friendly sources of energy. We had entrepreneurs who showed how they are experimenting with new technologies and new business models to address our future energy needs. We had debates among academics about the future direction of research.” The diversity of content portrayed the complexity of policy making and technological advances in the energy sector.
With such a diverse array of speakers, including a keynote by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, the conference encouraged a dialogue about energy policy and economics within Wake Forest University and our extended community. Speaking to the success of the conference, Dr. Fogel lauded this discourse by saying, “it has provoked lots of conversation and has demonstrated the role a first-class university can play in solving intractable problems.” Fogel hopes that this conversation will be continued through the publication of a book based on the proceedings; the creation of a Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability at Wake Forest; and the installment of new courses drawing on university and community resources and relations.