This article was written by Tina Rosan, Postdoctoral Associate in MIT Portugal’s Sustainable Energy Systems focus area. From March 2–6, 2009, 22 Sustainable Energy Systems mid-career (one-year) Advanced Studies students from the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) came to MIT for a week-long seminar on sustainability and innovation that consisted of workshops, visits to industry, and presentations by MIT faculty. The week exposed students to new ways of thinking about the challenges and opportunities they will face in their future careers as leaders in sustainable energy.  DFA students João Schmidt and Dillon Banerjee (photo by José Oliveira) On Monday, the students were welcomed by Professor Dave Marks, Co-Director of MIT Portugal’s Sustainable Energy Systems focus area, and Professor Dan Roos, Director at MIT of the MIT Portugal Program. At the start of the week, Professor Roos explained the importance of these types of exchanges for the MIT Portugal Program and encouraged the students to make the most of their week at MIT. Mort Webster, Assistant Professor in Engineering Systems at MIT, then discussed the challenge of global climate change. That afternoon, the students went to downtown Boston to meet with executives at EnerNOC, an innovative company specializing in energy demand response, energy efficiency, and energy procurement. On Monday evening, a special event was held at the R&D pub in MIT’s Stata Center for the MIT Portugal students and students in the MIT Energy Club. Universities, market niches, leadership and energy efficiency Tuesday began with a presentation by Anthony Knopp, Senior Liaison Officer for the MIT Industrial Liaison Center. Mr. Knopp discussed theimportant economic engine that universities in the United States, and particularly at MIT, play. He challenged the visiting students to think about what the barriers to innovation are in Portugal and whether universities could play the same role there that MIT plays in the United States. His talk was followed by Stephen Connors, Director of the MIT Analysis Group for Regional Energy Alternatives at the MIT Energy Initiative. Professor Connors presented on new market niches for energy. Also on March 3, the MIT Portugal students attended the MIT Sloan School of Management’s Dean’s Innovative Leadership Series presentation by Robert McDonald, COO of Proctor and Gamble. Mr. McDonald discussedthe important personal qualities of successful leaders. Joel Clark, Professor of Materials Systems and MIT Portugal’s Engineering Design and Advanced Manufacturing (EDAM) focus area co-lead, spoke about the development of business plans. His talk was followed by one from Harvey Michaels, MIT Lecturer and founder and former CEO of Nexus EnergySoftware, who focused on how we can work to create an energy-efficient society. Innovation, Decision-Making, Negotiation, Transportation, and Health Policy James Utterback, Professor of Management and Innovation and Professor of Engineering Systems, began Wednesday morning’s activities with a discussion of what he terms “the dynamics of innovation.” His presentation was followed by one by Randy Kirchain, Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, who discussed environmentally informed technology decisions, including the product supply chain and life cycle analysis. During lunch on March 4, I led a negotiation workshop in which students were asked to take on different roles in a negotiation simulation (fromthe Harvard Program on Negotiation) about the construction of a new wind power project. The workshop was followed by a presentation by Professor Joseph Sussman, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Systems, about the MIT Portugal Transportation Systems Program. (Professor Sussman is acting co-lead of Transportation Systems in spring 2009.) Finally, to expose the students to U.S. policy in other arenas, Stan Finkelstein, a member of the Bio-Engineering focus area faculty, presented on U.S. healthcare policy. The day was concluded with a dinner at a Cambridge restaurant with Professors Marks and Paulo Ferrão, co-leads of the Sustainable Energy Systems focus area, and Steve Connors. Demographic and Entrepreneurship Challenges Thursday morning began with a tour of the Genzyme building in Kendall Square, a LEED Platinum building. This was followed by a presentation by Daniel Sperling, Professor at the University of California, Davis, on his new book, Two Billion Cars: Driving Toward Sustainability. In the afternoon, students were given time to explore Boston and Cambridge. Students attended an evening lecture by Professor Robert Merton from the Harvard Business School. On Friday morning, the final day of the seminar, William Aulet, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, challenged the students to be entrepreneurs and addressed the challenges of being entrepreneurs in the energy sector. Sarah Slaughter, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan, presented on the current trends in sustainable business. Joseph Coughlin, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Age Lab at MIT’s Engineering Systems Division, discussed the demographics of an aging society and the opportunities for innovation. Finally, the students attended the MIT Energy Club workshops on Smart Grids and Nuclear Power and participated in the MIT Energy Showcase. A Productive Visit For many of the Advanced Studies students, this was their first visit to the United States and first exposure to the full array of opportunities that MIT offers. The old saying that spending time at MIT is like trying to “drink from a firehose” was certainly true. The students left excited about the possibilities in front of them and ready to get back to their second and final semester at IST. “I knew about MIT’s entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Isabel Cancela de Abreu, one of the visiting Advanced Studies students, “but once you are here you realize how infectious it is. Listening to so many people talk about their work, I feel more creative, and I’m willing to try new things.” |
