Curtis '14 travels to biodiesel convention
On Feb. 4 to 7, 16 undergraduate and graduate students from across the nation participated in the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo. Morgan Curtis ’14, an avid biodiesel promoter, went as part of this group through her position as co-chair for the National Biodiesel Board’s Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel program.
As co-chair, Curtis primarily works as a liaison for students across the country. Her main job is to select 15 other students from the pool of applicants to go with her to the conference, Curtis said. The conference, held in Las Vegas, opened Curtis’ eyes to a side of the biodiesel world she had not yet explored.
“It was a really neat opportunity to see the biodiesel world from the industry perspective,” Curtis said. “I’ve always been involved in sustainability, activism and getting people excited about things that are better for the world. This was more focused on industry performance and revitalizing the economy and agriculture, all the sides that I don’t normally focus on as much.”
Some people might get the impression that the focus on industry would bring a slightly morbid mood to the convention, seeing as the government and many companies have not yet embraced the alternative fuel as the future of transportation, but Curtis said the tone of the conference was optimistic.
“There was a positive vibe that this industry is growing and that we are making huge strides,” Curtis said. “When they did the fiscal cliff deal, a really small part of that was the reintroduction of a $1 tax credit for biodiesel which everyone freaked out about and was really good news for the industry, but that has not been covered very well.”
The convention also gave all the students in attendance a chance to get to know each other and those working in the industry.
“One of the highlights was networking with not only professionals but other undergraduates and graduate students involved in biodiesel activism,” Curtis said. “I left with a bunch of new friends that I feel I could reach out to wherever I am and [they would] help me find biodiesel and find others involved.”
As with all areas of sustainability, biodiesel is rapidly expanding. Many people now understand that it is a viable solution to the depletion of fossil fuels as well as other issues in our environment.
“[Biodiesel] is a really interesting field because there are so many different elements to it,” Curtis said. “When it comes down to it, it’s a chemical engineering project, but it’s also really intertwined with sustainability and economics. It brings together a lot of different disciplines to solve a lot of different problems.”
Curtis’ interest in sustainability dates back to her high school years, when she was involved in the London Climate Change Youth Ambassador program. After arriving at Dartmouth, Curtis looked for multiple groups focused around sustainability and biodiesel in particular.
“My freshman summer at Dartmouth, I went on the Big Green Bus,” Curtis said. “We traveled around the U.S. and we met all sorts of people who were really passionate about biodiesel. We got really involved in the movement.”
Since her freshman summer, Curtis has remained close to the latest happenings with the Bus and its current crew. She also runs her car on 100 percent biodiesel from White Mountain Biodiesel in North Haverhill and is part of an informal biodiesel club primarily made up of other students using the alternative fuel and those who want to spread the word about it. Curtis is also part of the Divest Dartmouth campaign and has been an intern in the sustainability office almost every term that she has been on campus.
“I’m so excited about sustainability at Dartmouth at the moment,” Curtis said. “The different green groups are booming, and I know a lot of people are excited to see if we can continue to seize that momentum.”
Hear more of Curtis’ thoughts on the conference in this YouTube video she created after attending.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vkYz88zI5dc