Registration for the first European Student Energy Summit, organised by students from the University of Aberdeen, is now open.
The event in Aberdeen will be held simultaneously with events on four other continents, with sister summits in New York, Shanghai, Cape Town and Mexico City.
The occasion will be an opportunity for ‘the next generation’ of energy sector workers to debate important issues with experts, industry leaders and policy makers.
Event Chair Malgorzata Olesiewicz, a 4th year Economics student at the University said: "We have been working on this event for almost a year now and we are delighted to announce that the registration is finally open.
“It is uplifting to see how many people and organisations joined us and supported us in this project.
“The event focuses on the fact that transition to a sustainable energy future has to start now. The only way we can face this challenge and succeed is if we work together as a global society.
“We are hoping that this event will be the beginning of an important conversation between students and the industry. Looking at the support we have received so far I am optimistic that this will be the case."
The event is supported by three associate partners - PremierOil, Shell and the Energy Institute.
Among the official speakers will be a number of top academics from the University of Aberdeen, including renowned oil economist Professor Alex Kemp.
Representatives from industry include President, Reservoir Development Services at Baker Hughes, John Harris; Chief Executive of UK Onshore Operators, Ken Cronin. There are also speakers from Marine Scotland, Green Giraffe energy bankers and Pale Blue Dot Energy.
Also giving presentations will be academics from the Universities of Queensland, Greifswald (Germany), and Edinburgh.
Malgorzata continued: “One of the aims of the conference is to show that the delicate issue of sustainability should be approached from a broader perspective – not just from an engineering angle. Engineers have to understand the concerns of the policy makers and vice-versa. If the industry wants to succeed in its transition to a sustainable future, it will have to adopt this same perspective.
“Not only do I believe that it is important to show the industry that the next generation are here and ready to take over, but also to underline that from our own perspective, the status quo is unacceptable. The Millennium generation will be responsible for meeting the 2030 and 2050 emission targets that we are setting up today for the whole of society.”
The summit will be held on June 19-20, 2014 at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre. Visit the official registration site to secure an ‘early bird’ discount.