Energy Explorers: Challenging skillsets for expanded audiences
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Energy Explorers at April 9's government relations event (left to right: Elizabeth Areas, Kiera Greenaway, Francisco Basaure)
When Future Energy Systems established the Energy Explorers program, its primary purpose was to teach graduate students how to communicate to a younger audience. Two years later, students who completed the program are still finding those communication skills essential—and applicable to more diverse audiences.
On April 9, 2024, four of our Energy Explorers were featured at a University of Alberta-hosted event for Alberta’s governing United Conservative Party. Representing the Explorer program were Kiera Greenaway, a microplastics researcher; Francisco Basaure, an energy storage expert; Huong Le, a political scientist studying renewable energy for Alberta’s grid; and Elizabeth Arenas, a biologist learning how bacteria help fight climate change.
After remarks from UofA President Bill Flanagan and Government of Alberta Minister for Advanced Education Rajan Sawhney, the Explorers spent the evening engaging with government and university representatives about energy research. Interactive demonstrations first piloted for children at TELUS World of Science Edmonton were just as engaging in the mixer environment, and were accompanied by conversations about the ways people can be taught about the complexities of energy transitions.
Take a look at some moments from the event!
Energy Explorers on April 9
