Hilary Klein
Always buzzing with energy, CSU’s Powerhouse Energy Campus turned it up another notch this summer, transforming into a livelier space for learning, exploring and connecting. The Summer at the Powerhouse program offered students a rare mix of inside access, expert insights, and community connections. Through site tours and a weekly lunch and learn session, this was an opportunity to plant seeds for future careers.
Kicking off the Summer
The season began with an unforgettable experience for over 50 CSU engineering students, and even a few high schoolers, who were welcomed by North American Young Generation in Nuclear at their annual conference in Denver. A special thanks to Grace Stanke for organizing a powerful panel just for our students, spotlighting the intersection of nuclear, space, and clean energy.
Beyond the Powerhouse Walls
Just as exciting was when students boarded vans headed for field visits across the Front Range. The first visit was to the CSU’s Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center (METEC). Students toured this one-of-a-kind field lab where researchers are doing more than gathering data on methane leaks and detection; they’re directly informing global energy policy and energy practices.
At CSU’s AgNext facility, students saw how animal agriculture is adapting to reduce methane emissions without compromising animal welfare or productivity. On another visit, they walked through the production floor at AtmosZero, a Powerhouse-born company developing heat pump boilers for industrial steam with the first installation at Fort Collins New Belgium Brewery facility. Here, students witnessed how university research can become a commercial solution.
The final tour was at the Rawhide Energy Station north of Fort Collins, where engineers with Platte River Power Authority gave students a firsthand look at a power plant transitioning from fossil fuels to renewables, a real-time example of the clean energy transition unfolding close to home.
Watt’s Up Wednesday
Each week, students gathered for a lunch and learn session termed as “Watt’s Up Wednesday,” a ritual that had become a cornerstone of the Energy Institute’s Summer at the Powerhouse series.
Here, students networked, connected and learned from each other, heard from career counselors with the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering Success Center, leaders with the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed, and even enjoyed interactive demonstrations with the Energy Institute’s community mobile classroom.