The October 2006 Deans' Forum on Energy Security and Sustainability brought Congressman Rick Boucher and State Senator Frank Wagner to tour some of Virginia Tech’s energy related facilities and technologies.

The event was designed to encourage awareness and foster synergy of research, education, and outreach efforts at Virginia Tech in the energy and energy-related environmental fields. The forum was also intended to provide perspectives from policy leaders on energy-related needs so the Virginia Tech community can position itself as a major participant in energy policy and research.

The showcase featured keynote talks by Congressman Rick Boucher and State Senator Frank Wagner. Poster sessions enabled students and faculty members to gain a better perspective on the energy related research and education going on around them. Featured speakers provided a useful perspective to the Virginia Tech community, informing their own research focus, directions and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

The forum, the first of several energy-focused events of the year, highlighted the work already being performed by university faculty members and students. The event also enabled researchers to connect with others in a way that may encourage increased interdisciplinary work and broader-based studies.

“Given the complexity and interrelated and interacting nature of energy research and policy, the goal is to foster the creation of robust internal partnerships to strengthen and expand energy scholarship, learning, and outreach,” said Vice President for Research Brad Fenwick.

“We want to engage people from on and off campus to stimulate new research and interdisciplinary collaboration and form partnerships,” added faculty fellow Jack Lesko.

Congressman Rick Boucher, who serves as the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee, gave a keynote address to commence the forum. Representative Boucher is in his 12th term representing Virginia's Ninth District. He has a long history and deep knowledge of matters relating to energy and to the environment and has successfully led a number of legislative initiatives. Representative Boucher was instrumental in authoring a number of provisions contained within the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The Congressman got a chance to experience the Virginia Tech hybrid electric vehicle, developed by faculty and students. It can reach 60 miles per hour in 12 seconds, run 150 miles without an electric charge from an external power source, and satisfy federal clean-air laws.

Another influential policymaker, Virginia State Senator Frank Wagner, toured Virginia Tech’s solar home. In the 2006 General Assembly session, Senator Wagner was a chief patron of SB 262, the Virginia Energy Plan, which calls for studies of sites for wind and solar energy and incentives for implementation of renewable energy resources and directs the Commonwealth Transportation Board to encourage the use of biodiesel and other alternative fuels. The plan also creates the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, which includes Virginia Tech’s Advanced Research Institute. Sen. Wagner represents the Seventh Senate District in Virginia Beach and is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He serves on the Commerce and Labor, General Laws and Technology, Rehabilitation and Social Services, and Transportation committees.

The Virginia Tech Solar Home is part of the university’s contribution to the Solar Decathlon, a competition that presents opportunities to challenge the ideals of solar housing design, integrate technology and architecture. The Solar Home represents a truly collaborative project involving students, faculty, and staff from the departments of architecture, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture mechanical, structural, and electrical engineering have come together to design, build and operate a unique solar house that demonstrates a comfortable living and working environment, excellence in sustainable construction, and strong architectonic expression.

– Benjamin K. Sovacool, Postdoctoral Fellow, Office of the Vice President for Research