Jackson will speak in Geneva, Paris, and London about the challenge of global energy security

Troy, N.Y. — A delegation from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will travel to Europe March 15-22 to meet with leading representatives from government, industry, science, and higher education. Led by Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson, the trip will provide a platform for university officials to continue forging partnerships with international leaders and institutions. 

Through speeches in Geneva, Paris, and London, the trip also will provide a platform for Jackson to highlight her message about the challenge of global energy security. 

“Education has the transformational power to help us realize our collective potential,” Jackson said. “Rensselaer has a long history of educating students from around the world, but we must continue to create pathways for exchange by developing and enhancing international education and research partnerships. This exchange of people and ideas — across geographic and cultural boundaries — will help us work together to address the key energy, health, and environmental challenges of our time.”

A key objective of the trip is to foster partnerships and collaboration with some of Europe’s leading policy, research, and academic institutions on issues of common interest. The trip will begin with a stop in Geneva on March 16, where the delegation will meet with Rensselaer alumni and community leaders and visit the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the world’s leading laboratory for particle physics.

On March 19, Jackson will deliver an address at the prestigious INSEAD Business School in Fontainebleau near Paris. She will discuss how such trends as massive population growth, excessive water use, increased numbers of automobiles, and skyrocketing air travel volume are combining to make energy security the critical challenge of our time. Jackson will argue that a collaborative, innovative, and global response will be required if we are to achieve a sustainable global energy framework. She will then explore some of the strategic technological fronts toward which this innovation and collaboration should be directed. 

While in Paris, Jackson will meet with President Xavier Michel, Director General of École Polytechnique. Other members of the Rensselaer delegation, including Acting Provost Robert Palazzo, Acting Vice President for Research Wolf von Maltzahn, Dean of Engineering Alan Cramb, and Dean of Science Wei Zhao, will meet with Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Deputy Rector of Imperial College in London. 

In another speech at the Institute of Directors in London on March 21, Jackson will focus on energy security and global markets. She also will sign a memorandum of understanding with the University of London – Birkbeck College to promote educational and research cooperation. The agreement will enable both institutions to undertake a variety of activities, including exchanges of faculty and students; sharing of publications, scientific materials, scholarly papers and research information; and development of collaborative research programs.

In 2005 Time magazine described Jackson as “perhaps the ultimate role model for women in science.” During her tenure as President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the oldest technological university in the United States, Jackson has spearheaded an institutional transformation that has included the hiring of 180 new faculty, a reduction in class sizes and student/faculty ratios, a $500 million investment in new construction and renovation of research and teaching facilities, and the securing of a $360 million unrestricted gift to the university. 

Prior to her appointment as Rensselaer’s 18th President, Jackson served as Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission under President Clinton from 1995-1999. Jackson is past President (2004) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and former Chairman (2005) of the AAAS Board of Directors. The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society. Jackson holds an S.B. in physics and a Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics from MIT in addition to 40 honorary degrees.

For more information about Jackson’s positions on key topics of interest, please see:

— On global energy security: www.rpi.edu/research/energy/.

— On the shortage of U.S. technically skilled workers: www.rpi.edu/homepage/quietcrisis/.

Other members of the Rensselaer delegation are: David Gautschi, dean of the Lally School of Management and Technology; William N. Walker, vice president for strategic communications and external relations; Cynthia McIntyre, chief of staff; and Dawn (Xia) Chen, director of international advancement.

Contact: William N. Walker
Phone: (518) 276-6531
E-mail: walkew2@rpi.edu