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Six students from ������’s Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) traveled to Long Beach, Calif., in March to attend the AEE West Conference 2023, an energy conference and expo focused on energy efficiency in buildings, technology, and storage.

The AEE at ������ is open to students from all majors at the Klamath Falls and Portland-Metro campuses. Still, most members are Electrical Engineering or Renewable Energy Engineering students.

Steven Barton is a senior in Renewable Energy Engineering at Klamath Falls and President of the AEE at ������. He said the conference impacted his success as a student and soon-to-be professional engineer.

“At the conference, there were a variety of panels that discussed clean energy systems, clean building technologies, and decarbonization, among many other topics,” Barton said. “During the expo, industry professionals, employers, business owners, and entrepreneurs discussed technology and gave insight into the industry. The experience of networking with industry professionals and seeing the excitement they brought to the conversation when they discussed their technology was inspiring.”

Barton said his conference highlights included gaining new ideas on tackling a project, observing new software students can use to collect data, and analyzing lighting technology that can significantly cut costs while consuming less power.

“This conference provided many benefits for the individual members, but I also believe it brought the group closer together,” he said. “It is my hope that ������ AEE members can continue to attend the conference and create a group of students who are inspired to make positive change in the energy industry.”

Adama Toure, a senior in Renewable Energy Engineering at the Portland-Metro campus, said the conference allowed the students to broaden their perspective and interact with industry leaders, opening new possibilities for them.

“Overall, it was a great bonding experience for all of us and a huge success. We look forward to sharing and applying what we learned,” Toure said.

Student Involvement and Belonging (SIB) Director Thomas Arce said club-related events are part of SIB’s mission toward student leadership development and providing opportunities for all ������ students. “Student organizations at ������ have the opportunity to engage in leadership building opportunities, to grow as an individual and sharpen skills to ensure they are career ready,” Arce said.

SIB supports the leadership development of student organization leaders through offering events and activities for leading change.