On Mar. 7, Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES) Director Noël Bakhtian testified on Capitol Hill to the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies about the opportunities and challenges facing energy workforce development. An excerpt from her testimony follows, and the entire filmed testimony can be viewed at this link:
Here are a few of her words:
“My name is Noël Bakhtian, and I’m the director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES). Our center, headquartered in Idaho Falls, Idaho, is a research, education and innovation consortium that brings together the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) with the four public research universities of Idaho and Wyoming: Boise State University (BSU), Idaho State University (ISU), the University of Idaho (UI), and the University of Wyoming (UWy). The center is committed to conducting cutting-edge energy research, educating the next generation of scientists and engineers, and partnering with industry to advance competitiveness. CAES harnesses the shared capabilities, expertise and resources of its five member organizations to provide academic, national lab and private industry collaborators with cross-cutting opportunities to address complex energy challenges. It does so through transformative research as well as education and entrepreneurial initiatives that benefit the region, nation and the world. Today, I would like to discuss the shifting energy workforce playing field, tell you how the Center for Advanced Energy Studies has been working to meet the nation’s energy workforce needs and ask for your support in a few critical areas.”