{"id":1146,"date":"2026-04-27T10:20:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T17:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/?p=1146"},"modified":"2026-04-27T10:20:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T17:20:04","slug":"student-energy-ambassadors-engage-with-utility-leaders-at-nwppa-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/2026\/04\/27\/student-energy-ambassadors-engage-with-utility-leaders-at-nwppa-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Student energy ambassadors engage with utility leaders at NWPPA conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Three Washington State University Tri-Cities INEF student interns from the Energy Ambassadors Network<\/a> traveled to Portland, Oregon, on April 15 to attend the Northwest Public Power Association\u2019s Engineering & Operations Conference and Trade Show. While there, they took part in various keynote and breakout sessions on topics relating to public infrastructure, safe practices, and innovations in power and energy utilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three students, each of whom is pursuing an engineering degree from WSU Tri-Cities, also spent time connecting one-on-one with an industry mentor to discuss career pathways and opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI gained a much deeper understanding of power systems, including the distinction between power and energy, and learned about the roles that mechanical, civil, and electrical engineers play in this field. I was especially interested in the discussions of fusion and emerging energy technologies,\u201d Anas Mohamed, a mechanical engineering major, said. \u201cI also had the chance to connect with a mentor, where we talked about pursuing a master\u2019s degree, career pathways in the industry, and the challenges he faced along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hasan Cruz, a civil engineering major, described the conference as an \u201cimpactful experience\u201d for connecting classroom learning with on-the-ground insight from energy industry leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three\u201cThrough the sessions and conversations, I gained a better understanding of how utilities are managing reliability, adopting new technologies, and preparing for future energy demands. I especially appreciated seeing in person strong leadership and thoughtful decision making from so many professionals, including CEOs,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cI also felt this experience reflected INEF\u2019s vision very well, because it highlighted the value of bringing together students, experts, and industry partners to help shape the future of energy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angel Romero, also a civil engineering major (who recently won a Gray award at WSU Pullman’s 2026 Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities<\/a> for a research poster on small modular reactor development), echoed his classmates\u2019 remarks, calling the mentor engagement a highlight from the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOverall, I took this opportunity to really absorb information and advice from all sorts of engineering firms that will be beneficial to my growth as an individual and also as a professional,\u201d Romero said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three students are mentored by Jillian Cadwell, INEF assistant director for program development and student engagement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three INEF student interns engaged with energy experts and explored innovations in power and energy at a recent NWPPA conference in Portland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":156,"featured_media":1151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wsuwp_accessibility_report":null},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1146"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/156"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1146"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1155,"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1146\/revisions\/1155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsuwp.tricities.wsu.edu\/inef\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}