Tyler Ricketts, Desmond Stubbs and Lee Ingram (left to right) are pictured at the student poster session of the Geothermal Resources Council Annual Meeting in September 2014. Ricketts and Ingram are members of the University of Mississippi Geothermal Student Competition team, and Desmond Stubbs is the ORAU senior program manager for the competition.  

Hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office, the Geothermal Student Competition was started in 2010 to advance understanding of geothermal energy. The competition engages students from colleges and universities nationwide on challenges within the field of geothermal energy such as comprehensive assessments of geothermal resource potential, research studies on geothermal power development and business plans for developing a geothermal enterprise. This year the challenge was a little different: student teams were tasked to develop a way to communicate geothermal energy to the public. 

With the theme of GeoEnergy is Beautiful 2014, the student teams were asked to create a clear and engaging infographic to simply explain an aspect of geothermal power production and then develop a communications and outreach strategy that would help to publicly disseminate the information.

Desmond Stubbs, Ph.D., senior program manager at Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), the organization that administers the competition for the DOE, said the over-arching aspiration for the competition is to build geothermal energy awareness and education. “We want students engaged in geothermal energy on campuses and within the public domain,” he explained. “We’re also playing an integral role in DOE’s energy strategy, which attempts to leverage all energy sources, including geothermal.”

The competition, which opened in March, invited applications from teams consisting of high school students, undergraduates and/or graduate students. Each team was required to select a team lead and mentor from the industry or academia. After review of the infographic and communications strategy by the DOE, the teams that qualified for the second round received two benefits: an all-expenses paid trip to attend the 2014 Geothermal Resources Council Annual Meeting (GRC) in Portland, Ore., from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, to present finalized infographics and outreach strategies, and $2,500 to fund planning and implementation of the outreach strategy.

At the conference, the three finalists — Truckee Meadows Community College, the University of Texas-Pan American and the University of Mississippi — were recognized by DOE Geothermal Technologies Office Director Doug Hollett with awards for first, second and third place. Judged by an interdisciplinary review panel from the public and private sector, the winners were evaluated on creativity and aesthetics of the infographic, clarity, depth and feasibility of the communications strategy, and the quality and relevance of the infographic’s message. This year a “People’s Choice Award” was also added during the poster session, at which time anyone viewing the posters could vote for their favorite.

Since 2013, first place teams have also received a one-time geothermal scholarship for their college, university or high school. Students interested in geothermal energy at the school can apply to receive the scholarship. The University of Rochester’s two past-year recipients are using their scholarships to fund geothermal doctoral field research and undergraduate laboratory research.

Student teams in the 2014 competition all had minimal exposure to geothermal energy before participating, but became much more knowledgeable and excited about the industry as a whole because of their participation. The experience also seemed to light a passion in some for raising awareness about geothermal energy’s potential or pursuing a career in geothermal energy.

For more about the student competitors, see the next page.