The LEAD Scholars Academy will be partnering with the Electric Vehicle Transportation Center to create a forum on STEM career opportunities in the emerging field of electric-powered vehicles.
The EVTC, a four-year, multi-million dollar research effort, grew to establish a network of electric vehicle transportation. UCF is just 1 of 33 universities funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation to address this critical challenge, and UCF’s EVTC is the only one focused on electric vehicles.
The schedule for Tuesday’s event will be:
- 10:00-10:15 – Registration and check in
- 10:15-10:20 – Welcome and introductions
- 10:20-11:00 – Panel presentations
- 11: 00-11:15 – Keynote-Jennifer Szaro, Orlando Utilities Commission
- 11:15-12:15 – Table discussions
- 12:15-1:00 – Lunch with panelists (sponsored by Orlando Utilities Commission)
- 1: 00-1:50 – Table summaries and reports
- 1:50-2:00 – Transition to EVTC parking area
- 2:00-3:00 – EV ride, drive and display
- 3:00 – Adjourn
An expert panel of industry leaders will conduct the forum in the Student Union – Cape Florida Ballroom, in room 316. The guest speakers will make brief introductory remarks and then move to roundtable discussions with students paired with faculty and industry representatives. Each panelist will visit two tables at a time to participate in a Q&A with students. One topic would be assigned to each speaker, who will then make their way to each table. Lunch will be provided for each student that attends, courtesy of Orlando Utilities Union.
Featured speakers include:
- Britta Gross – Director, Advanced Vehicle Commercialization Policy, General Motors
- Hajrah Quddusi – Market Research Analyst, UCF Venture Accelerator
- Anne-Louise Seabury – Electric Vehicle Program Manager, Florida Power & Light Company
- Sophia E. Eccleston – Manager, Project Development, Florida Power & Light Company
- Hamed Valizadeh Haghi – Ph.D. Candidate, UCF
- Jennifer Szaro – Renewable Energy Manager, Orlando Utilities Commission
- Robin Phelps – Office of Research and Communication, UCF
- Jason Gascel – Interim Associate Dean-School of Engineering, Seminole State College of Florida
The Ride, Drive and Display of featured vehicles will take place on Memory Mall. A similar event has taken place last fall at Tuskegee University, one of the partners for the conference, where Rolls Royce, Tesla, and other manufacturers displayed their automobiles.
Students must have a reservation, which can be obtained, with limited availability, here.
