Press Release
SOS 2010 Student Organizations Summit on the Environment
E4: Education, Engineering, Energy, Entrepreneurship in 2010 and Beyond
February 25 & 26, 2010
Campus of Lawrence Technological University, Southfield Michigan
CEU & AIA Credits available
Questions? ltu.ashrae@gmail.com
- For Professionals, Educators, Students, Community.
- Keynote speaker Stanford Ovshinsky to begin conference, Thursday, February 25 at 7:00pm in A-200 Architecture Building
- Presented by: Lawrence Technological University Center for Sustainability, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Lawrence Tech Student Branch, and the Lawrence Tech Student Branch of the Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI)
If E=mc2, then what does E4 =?
Five years ago, an American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning (ASHRAE) chapter in the Midwest (Region V) took a bold step to invent, coordinate and host a conference to showcase ASHRAE's leadership in sustainable design by offering a day-long 90.1 seminar. Since then, this event had grown to include over 12 speakers and three tracks. At the Detroit Chapter of ASHRAE, home of current ASHRAE Society President Gordon Holness, this seminar is affectionately referred to as the SOS Conference, and has grown in magnitude and reach.
"At the Fall 2009, ASHRAE Region V Chapters Regional Conference (CRC), a few of us were networking and I asked if we could start a new tradition in our region to celebrate and unite our strong, active and enthusiastic student chapters by organizing a regional student event", remarked Filza H. Walters, Director of the Architectural Engineering program at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield Michigan, and co-advisor of the ASHRAE and Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) student chapters.
As a result, the Seminars On Sustainability (SOS) Conference transformed into the new and improved 'SOS 2010: Student Organizations Summit'. "The vision for the conference includes a collaborative approach to offer past, current and future students an opportunity to learn and network with other professionals in the built environment", comments Prof. Walters. She goes on to say, "We want to reach a wide cross section of potential attendees, while maintaining four important common themes or tenets that bind us in our quest to continue to lead the market transformation to a green economy. These include Engineering, Education, Energy & Entrepreneurship - the E4".
Finding these to be common themes of interest for members of ASHRAE, AEI, AIA, IESNA, USGBC, Alternative Energy Student Group and others, will allow the conference organizers, predominately ASHRAE and AEI students from Lawrence Tech, to attract diverse speakers and to offer a unique, integrated program to discuss innovations in high performing, net zero energy buildings, green building design and the new LEED v3.0, the newly launched ASHRAE Building Energy Quotient program, upcoming ASHRAE Standard 189.1P and how Detroit will lead the way into integrating S.T.E.M.'s education into the K-12 school system through a teaming approach. Additionally, the conference will feature tours, and hands-on opportunities for students to explore AutoCAD, Revit and other 3-D animation software. Also on hand will be the prominent university leaders to discuss how Lawrence Tech is taking the lead on ensuring a quality education for our young people and for displaced workers, though various programs and incentives.
The conference will be held on the campus of Lawrence Technological University on February 25 and 26, 2010, and is expected to draw middle school, high school, junior college, university students, working and displaced professionals, and members of the community, as the celebration of Engineers week continues.
The confirmed keynote speaker is Mr. Stanford Ovshinski, an inventor, entrepreneur and possibly the 'Einstein' of our time. For more information and to register, please visit www.sos.ltu.edu.