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Explore Energy (Theme)

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Are you eager to make friends among housemates who are charged up for the energy revolutions shaping the future?  Explore Energy House in Potter is a four-class living laboratory open to any undergraduate student in any major - including you!

We welcome residents who have a strong commitment to actively exploring any aspect of the energy transitions – broadly spanning technology, policy, international relations, finance, entrepreneurship, history, social science, climate action, equity and justice. 

Energy-domain knowledge is not expected – instead, residents engage with each other as we explore a wide range of energy ecosystems through interdisciplinary dialogue, exploration, and action.

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Welcome to Explore Energy House

The mission of Explore Energy is to provide an integrated experiential learning and living environment promoting a culture of informed inquiry, intellectual curiosity, and spirited participation to promote innovation, strengthen personal and social responsibility, and build a legacy of energy literacy. 

More than 20 countries on 5 continents are represented by residents in Explore Energy House – and our multicultural community supports interests in climate justice, taking solutions to scale, and an international view of the imperatives and opportunities surrounding the clean energy transition.

We are passionate about being a home where our residents feel a sense of authenticity, belonging, and inspiration, where we center the values of joy, hope, curiosity, discovery, and inclusion.

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Theme Requirements

Expectations of a Scholar in Explore Energy House

  1. Exploring energy! We aspire to be a  house where residents are actively exploring aspects of any energy field, including but not limited to technology, entrepreneurship, finance, history, political science, equity and justice, communications, and cultural power. It is not expected that Pre Assignees come in with domain knowledge, but rather that they have a  desire to engage each other as we explore a wide range of energy ecosystems together. Examples include: attending programs led by students, alumni, and faculty and summer fellowship managers through the Explore Energy Seminar; joining field trips; enrolling in relevant courses; connecting with Explore Energy and other initiatives at the Precourt Institute for Energy; and tapping into any of the energy-related student clubs.
  2. Creating a vibrant, supportive, engaged and inclusive community at Explore Energy House by participating in the community, attending house meetings regularly, supporting house activities, and giving feedback to house leaders and the Resident Fellow.
  3. Assisting fellow residents in learning about and accessing campus resources, and building cross-campus relationships.  
  4. Pre-assignees can also look forward to becoming mentors to and friends with the first year students at Stanford in the house.

Pledged Commitments for Pre-Assignment

  1. Participate in a half day Community Kickoff at the beginning of Fall Quarter (Tentatively Sunday, 9/29) and one energy related field trip during the year.
  2. Work with one or more other residents, the Resident Fellows and the Explore Energy House Leaders to co-host at least one theme-related program/workshop/event/trip during the academic year.
  3. Participation/ Registration in at least one quarter of the weekly Explore Energy Seminar.
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Pre-Assignment

Open House Info

We invite you to join one of the following open house sessions:

  • Thursday, April 4 at 8:00 p.m. on Zoom
  • Friday, April 5 at 5:00 p.m. at Junipero (Wilbur, the current house location): Happy Hour Social featuring 2 start-up talks, co-hosted with the Stanford Energy Club and TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy
  • Sunday, April 7 at 5:00 p.m. at Potter (Sterling Quad, the new location starting in the fall)

In addition, we warmly welcome all guests for the weekly Explore Energy Seminar series:

  • Tuesday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m., featuring a lively integrative design activity with luminary Amory Lovins for decarbonizing Stanford’s campus as a living laboratory.
  • Tuesday, April 9 at 6:00 p.m., featuring a fireside chat with someone who buys more battery minerals for electric vehicles than virtually anyone in the automotive industry. 

Both of these are epic experiences!

Living in Explore Energy House

Together, our team creates a cohesive “energy circuit” that bridges Stanford’s 7 Schools. Explore Energy House in Potter hosts seminar classes, student-initiated/led workshops, alumni events, and more.  

Explore Energy House is associated with the Explore Energy program under the Precourt Institute for Energy in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Residents at Explore Energy House are the first to know about sustainability and energy opportunities in technology, policy, business and more; and they also have priority access among students for invitation-only events that range from 400-person conferences, to exclusive field trips, to small VIP dinners.

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Benefits of Seeking Pre-Assignment

  • Assured housing in a community of active residents who are avidly pursuing interests that intersect with clean energy revolutions in many contexts around the world.
  • In-house programming featuring springboard opportunities in on-campus activities, summer jobs, and post -graduation pursuits.
  • Exceptional access to fun field trips with priority access to register for highly sought experiences such as the Tesla Fremont factory, the Tesla Gigafactory, Redwood Materials, SLAC, and more.
  • Priority for limited volunteer positions for student access to invitation-only events with Precourt Institute for Energy.
  • Two-room double rooms for all pre-assigned residents.
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Leadership Team 

  • Yi Cui, Faculty Director, Stanford Sustainability Accelerator; Professor, Materials Science and Engineering; Senior Fellow, Precourt Institute for Energy
  • Bruce Cain, Director, Bill Lane Center for the American West; Professor, Political Science
  • Mark Jacobson, Director, Atmosphere/Energy Program; Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Sally Benson, Precourt Family Professor, Professor of Energy Science & Engineering, and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy
  • Jane Woodward, Adjunct Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Founder and Managing Partner, MAP
  • Diana Gragg, Managing Director, Explore Energy program at the Precourt Institute for Energy; Core Lecturer, Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Bianca Patel, Assistant Director, Explore Energy program at the Precourt Institute for Energy
  • Holmes Hummel, Lecturer, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Founder of Clean Energy Works
  • Anthony Kinslow, Lecturer, Civil and Environmental Engineering; Founder and CEO of Gemini Energy Solutions
  • Kirsten Stasio, Adjunct Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering; VP at MAP 
  • Tracy Turner, Administrative Program Coordinator, Explore Energy program at the Precourt Institute for Energy  
  • Katie Taflan Cerneka, Program Manager, Sustainable Finance Initiative (SFI) and Shultz Energy Fellowships at the Precourt Institute for Energy  
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Potter is located in...

Magnolia

550 Lasuen, Adams, EAST, Murray, Potter, Robinson, Schiff, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Suites, Synergy, Yost, and apartments in Mirrielees and Duan.

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For more information about Governor’s Corner residences visit the Residential & Dining Enterprises website.