Energy professionals, students and alumni filled the UH Hilton Conrad Ballroom on the evening of April 19, 2018 to attend the 3^rd Annual UH Energy Banquet.

The celebration brings back alumni and connects them with students, industry professionals and members of the Energy Advisory Board. Organized by the Energy Coalition and UH Energy, the evening is a time for students to connect with professionals and for alumni to be informed on what UH has been doing in the energy industry.

“My favorite part of attending is seeing how all the professionals are actually giving back,” said Kamalpreet Kaur, Energy Coalition project manager. “As a student, I can see their involvement with us and how welcoming they are and genuinely interested in what we do.”

BP Senior Vice President Cindy Yielding was keynote speaker. She presented what BP is doing in terms of innovation and informed audience members on new technology coming to the company.

The three guests of honor were Patricia Vega, former president of GE Oil & Gas Latin American; Clay Williams, president and CEO of NOV; Lynn Bourdon, president and CEO of America Midstream; and other energy professionals from companies in the Houston area.

Kaur’s role as project manager with the Energy Coalition provides her the opportunity of planning the banquet with her fellow board members. Students involved with the coalition were invited to attend the banquet.

Vice Chair Julian Chenin opened by telling the audience about the Energy Coalition, which that spans all majors and fosters positive attitudes towards energy. He said UH research and its location in the city of Houston have transformed it into an energy university.

Kaur in her second year of organizing the banquet, said organizers try to involve students in all aspects of the evening.  “We even hired a live orchestra composed of students from UH’s Moores School of Music,” she said.

UH Energy hosted a video competition during the spring semester, with students submitting 30-second videos portraying the theme “Energy Basics in 90 seconds.” Winners were announced during the evening. Kayshewa Champuthi won first place for his animated video, “Energy Usage Relativity.”

The Energy Coalition hosts a lot of events during the year; the banquet is the most extensive and most inclusive, stated Kaur. The event’s mission is to provide networking opportunities for students but also to inform alumni and industry professionals of the work and breakthroughs those students are making at The Energy University.