Imperial College Club of Germany celebrates its 10th anniversary

Alumni gather in Strasbourg to celebrate this sepcial anniversary

Around 50 alumni from Imperial College London, MIT and other top universities attended an insightful conference weekend in Strasbourg from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September 2009.

The weekend was a chance to mark the ten-year anniversary of the Imperial College Club of Germany (ICCG) who teamed up with the Imperial College Alumni Association of France to celebrate the occasion in the intellectual and cultural capital of the Alsace region. The event was certainly a global affair with guests travelling from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the UK and even the United States.

Themed “Renewable Energy: financial, political or ecological debate?” the conference saw guest speakers outlining the challenges each of their sectors face in terms of responding to climate change at a time when there is growing demand for energy.

François Gerin, Deputy Managing Director of Siemens, France set the scene when he explained that energy was one of the top five megatrends affecting our planet today.

 Mr. Christian Buchel, COO of EnBW continued with a frank view of the energy situation in Germany: reducing dependency on nuclear power will have a negative price effect in terms of the large investment needed to support alternative power sources.

Catherine Trautmann, MEP Strasbourg and member of the European Commission on Industry, Research and Energy highlighted the need for politicians to put people first when discussing industrial policy.

Didier Guenin, President of Electricité de Strasbourg, showed how his company is offering green energy to its local clients.

Andrew Smith, Energy and Environment Attaché at the British Embassy, Berlin, explained Britain's approach is based on a radical decision to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050, and by at least 34 per cent by 2020, well over the EU 20:20:20 target.

The conference fuelled several discussions making it evident that all attendees were clearly passionate about the subject matter but also highlighted that it was an issue that could not easily be solved.

One of the organisers of the event and board member for the Imperial College Alumni Association of France, Daniel Michel (Electric and Electronic Engineering 1995) was especially pleased to see how successful the event was:"The large number of participants at this event - almost 50 - is a true sign of how committed our alumni are on topical and significant issues such as renewable energy. This cross-border gathering, organised by the alumni associations of Germany and France, in Strasbourg, has enabled key decision makers from the industrial, economic or political world to expose their ideas and has enabled Imperial alumni to exchange their views on a subject of global concern.”

Being an Alsacian himself, Daniel was also proud to add that this region of France had a lot to offer in terms of cultural activities, which saw attendees enjoying a wine tasting tour and other local specialities such as Tarte Flambe in the beautiful, historical surroundings of the city. To finish off the day, attendees visited the live production of the regional newspaper Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace.

The weekend programme closed with the ICCG holding their AGM on Sunday, which saw the re-election of Miranda Bellchambers (Mechanical Engineering 1986) as president of the group and the appointment of Dr Joachim Leube (Biochemistry 1978) as the new PR Officer. Good luck and congratulations to both!

We would like to thank all those who attended the event and to those who helped with its organisation. We would like to say a special thanks to Miranda Bellchambers and Daniel Michel who have put their heart and soul into the planning of the programme over the last few months ensuring the smooth running and success of the event!

To view photos of the event please see the slideshow.

Plans are underway for the next event so for now please watch this space! If you would like to become involved in either of the Associations, please contact the Alumni Relations team at alumni-international@imperial.ac.uk