News

September 20, 2012

U.S. State Department Delegation from Europe Visits UH's Center for Advanced Materials
Visit Part of Scientifically-Focused Exchange Program for International Personnel Involved with Energy Technologies, Policy and Utilization

Delegates from five European countries visited Houston, and specifically the Center for Advanced Materials (CAM) at the University of Houston, on September 20 as part of a U.S. State Department scientifically-focused exchange program for international personnel involved with energy technologies, energy policy, and energy utilization.

The programmatic objectives for the delegation are to:

• Expose participants to the players in U.S. energy policy formulation at all levels and to a range of views in the public, academic and private sectors;
• Demonstrate effective actions taken against climate change by the private sector and U.S. federal, state and local government authorities;
• Provide opportunities for discussion about energy policy issues of concern to Europe and the U.S., including energy security, development of alternative sources, efforts to promote efficiency, energy conservation, and industry best practices; and
• Showcase state and local energy initiatives that incorporate or will incorporate the use of alternative energy sources, including new clean energy technology.

“This delegation visit to the Center for Advanced Materials is the fourth one requested by the State Department in the past three years. It reflects the high level of international recognition of the Center’s energy science and technology development,” said Alex Ignatiev, director of CAM.

The delegation included ministers and vice-ministers of environment/energy/climate from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany and Poland:

Mr. Spiridon Georgiev Aleksandrov
Head, Monitoring and Reporting Department, Ministry of Environment and Water, Sofia, Bulgaria

Mr. Pavel Gebauer
Director, Energy Section, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Prague, Czech Republic

Ms. Elizabeth Caroline Florian Hagemann
Special Advisor, Ministry of Climate and Energy, Copenhagen, Denmark

Dr. Mario Tobias
Secretary-General, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Potsdam, Germany

Mr. Wojciech Jacek Saryusz-Wolski
Head of Cabinet, Ministry of Environment, Warsaw, Poland