Giving Power to the Student Voice

Voice n. (vois) the right or opportunity to express a choice or option.

Today, some of the most influential voices are talking about the future of energy.

As students who face impending energy challenges, we are in a pivotal role that requires us to use our voices to find a common ground among our generation. There are a growing number of passionate students around the world who have progressive ideas on how to solve these challenges, but are unaware of what direction to take to effectively convey them. Fortunately, organizations are identifying this enthusiasm, and are striving to provide the foundation that would give students the confidence to share their opinions among like-minded individuals, and ultimately work toward creating a future that embraces and employs sustainable measures concerning energy, the environment and the economy.

Not just one nation

The world’s energy problems can’t be tackled solely by individual nations: These issues are global, requiring a holistic collaboration among nations to ensure there are no discrepancies that may prevent countries from achieving set targets. Both developed and developing nations have unique skillsets, depending on their position within the world’s economy. As such, the use of technology to encourage communication and knowledge transfer among nations will allow them to tackle these issues cohesively and reduce the gap between these two worlds.

This concept was embodied in the ISEEESA—Student Energy International Case Challenge. This event brought teams together from various educational backgrounds to compete and tackle this posed issue: “How to provide emerging/developing nations with the energy services necessary to continue their rapid growth—and thereby continue to lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty—without jeopardizing the well-being of future generations.” Students from around the world tuned in on January 31 and February 1 of this year, to watch a live feed of industry leaders in both Canada and India speak on topics related to the Challenge. This was followed by a case competition, where students from both countries shared their unique perspectives and proposed solutions to the presented problem.

Although a seemingly simple concept, this amalgamation of keen students from two continents is a vital step in identifying and resolving some of today’s prevalent global energy issues. This type of student-to-student relationship personalizes the concerns, as participants were able to see and interact with one another, giving the world’s energy problems a humanistic dimension.

To preserve this relationship, citizens of developed and developing countries alike have to embrace technology as a means of communication to strengthen ties and ultimately motivate nations to face these challenges in a constructive, collaborative way.

Connor Meagher, a first-year commerce student and a recent addition to the ISEEESA executive team, contributed to the event’s success. “It is very important that developed nations share knowledge and resources, so that the world’s energy issues are resolved ethically, sustainably and reliably,” Meagher says.

Not just one generation

Just as nations require collective approaches, there needs to be an interface between generations to create value in knowledge, especially as a younger generation enters the workforce. Over the years, ISEEESA has organized an array of events, including the Energy, Environment & Economy Development Program, and the Annual Networking Dinner that engage individuals across the generational divide. Students and industry members alike are able to foster mutually beneficial relationships, resulting in a better understanding of each other, along with the energy industry, as we together face new challenges.

Bridging the generational gap is no easy task, especially since the differences between generations are further deepened by technology, which has been advancing at a staggering rate. Generation Y, comprised of today’s youth and young professionals, is in a perpetual state of communication, as a result of the emergence of social media and the overarching motivation to create more meaning in our existence. Communications media such as Facebook and Twitter were non-existent a decade ago, but now dominate the lives of today’s youth. Through years of experience, Baby-Boomers and Generation X hold an invaluable perspective that is essential for a smooth transition as Generation Y emerges as tomorrow’s leaders. As such, it is vital that all generations learn to collaborate and utilize today’s more personalized communication technologies to strengthen the unique skill sets that each cohort has to offer.

Not just one discipline

Beyond facilitating links between nations and generations, ISEEESA has provided students with opportunities to collaborate within a multidisciplinary group of people. The International Case Challenge and events such as the Energy & Environment Trek and facility fieldtrips are rare and unique opportunities for students to take their education outside of the classroom and learn firsthand about the industries and work environments they will soon be entering. It’s very common for students to feel segregated in their own academic faculties, working only with students in the same discipline rather than benefiting from a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving. “Many times at university, I interact with students who are studying the same major, share similar interests and are the same age as me. Obviously, our society does not work like this. You will never work or interact with people who think exactly like you on a daily basis,” says Jodie Hansen, a fourth-year University of Calgary, energy management student and director of marketing for ISEEESA.

Collaboration among different perspectives and voices inevitably leads to more comprehensive and acceptable solutions to the world’s complicated problems. ISEEESA makes this possible, through an extensive membership base that includes both undergraduate and graduate students across all faculties at the University of Calgary and other post-secondary institutions in Calgary, Alberta. The ISEEESA executive team, along with members, are also encouraged to take advantage of travel bursaries provided by both ISEEESA and the University of Calgary, to help promote the student voice at conferences, case challenges and industry-related events around the world.

United Solutions

Energy problems cut across geographical, generational and disciplinary borders. Solutions to these problems are complex and require collaboration between different segments of the population. Rather than advocating specific solutions, ISEEESA aims to be a platform for the student voice; the organization’s primary focus is to provide unbiased information to students that allows them to come to their own conclusions. In other words, ISEEESA does not aim to control the student voice; rather, the organization strives to educate and provide an outlet for that voice and for opportunities that enable students to continue to shape our energy future. “I have learned so much within a short period of time by taking part in ISEEESA’s academic events and facility fieldtrips, which would have taken me years to learn otherwise,” says Jayachandran Ramachandran, a University of Calgary, Master of Business Administration student from Bangalore, India, and avid ISEEESA member. “ISEEESA is a great venue for like-minded people with interests in energy and the environment to meet and share their knowledge. Overall, I’d say that ISEEESA has enriched my learning experience and provided me with various opportunities that I wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere.”

Authors:

Jodie Hansen,Director, Marketing, ISEEESA
Neven Dimic,Vice President, Events, ISEEESA
Kelsey Kublik,Vice President, Academic, ISEEESA
Jonathan Lercher,Vice President, International Case Challenge, ISEEESA
Connor Meagher, Academic Consultants, ISEEESA