MBA students explore energy issues in new Energy Club
April 21, 2008 – Students interested in energy-related matters now have a way to meet with like-minded people, thanks to a group of MBA students in the Jenkins Graduate School of Management at the NC State.
The MBA students established an Energy Club this year to bring together individuals interested in discussing current events relating to geopolitical and economic energy news.
“Our purpose is to offer an opportunity for students with interests in all aspects of energy to meet, discuss current events, attend lectures and conduct site visits,” said Stuart Williams, an MBA student and and president of the Energy Club.
The Energy Club participated this past February in NC State’s Emerging Issues Forum, which focused on North Carolina’s future in energy.
“The immense interest in the future of energy is extremely encouraging,” Williams said.”While there are diverse interests for investing in energy resources, the simple fact that the issue is being researched in such a widespread manner is positive,” Williams said. “What seemed to be lost at various stages of the Emerging Issues Forum is the role that traditional energy generation methods play in funding research for sustainable and clean technologies.”
Williams explained that central to North Carolina’s future in energy is the issue of the state’s rapidly-growing population. The largest challenge may be keeping fuel prices low while investing in clean coal, nuclear or sustainable technologies as well as meeting government regulation standards.
“All of us in the Energy Club are in the MBA program’s Supply Chain concentration – and the supply chain is a big piece of solving the energy puzzle,” Williams said.
In addition to the Emerging Issues Forum, the Energy Club visited the Piedmont Biofuels Co-op in Pittsboro this past year.
“The technical obstacles for a bio-fueled vehicle, the small scale of the co-op and the cost of creating a manufacturing facility are stumbling blocks to widespread biofuel use. However, the refining process seems to be well understood [by the Piedmont Biofuels Co-op], and easily replicable,” Williams said.
Jen Arthur, assistant director of the MBA program, serves as advisor for the student organization.
- story by Cailin Deery, communications intern