On Wednesday, April 17, ISRI will host the session “Sparking Sustainable Futures” during the ISRI2024 Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas.
Featuring Sophie Boel, internal communications and public affairs manager at Redwood Materials, Richard Chelsey, program manager S.C. at the Department of Health and Environmental Control, Matt Sieloff, vice president of implementation and development at JASON Learning, and Mel Tally, marketing manager at SWEED Machinery Inc., the session is designed to empower the eco-champions of tomorrow through a dynamic blend of technology-driven education and local outreach. Panelists will explore innovative approaches to engage children and young minds in sustainable practices.
ISRI News had the opportunity to chat with Boel about the upcoming session at ISRI2024 and some of the experiences she’s planning to share with attendees.
What can attendees look forward to during the session?
Attendees can look forward to a multi-faceted panel spanning the work of educators, state department leaders, and private company employees all coming together to focus on educating and inspiring young people. I think the audience will hear different perspectives all focused on the same goal of educating children about the importance and practicalities of recycling, battery safety, and more.
What are you most looking forward to about the session?
I am looking forward to hearing from my impressive fellow panelists presenting their current projects and how we can all help one another. I’m excited to hear feedback and questions from the audience so that we can get public feedback, especially on the programs that Redwood has been working to create. I’m glad that educating future generations is a focus of this convention and grateful to be a part of that discussion.
Can you tell me about your expertise/background?
My background has centered around implementing engineering solutions in the field, first as an engineer in the oil and gas industry and later as a construction manager in the data center and battery industries.
I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2013 as a civil and cnvironmental engineering and public policy major, focused on combining engineering and policy solutions. I spent my first few years working on environmental cement control and pressure pumping, spanning field engineering, lab design, and technical sales for oil and gas service companies (Schlumberger, Trican). I then shifted to construction when I joined the team building Tesla’s Gigafactory 1, later working in data center construction before I was lucky to help build out the facilities and first campus for Redwood Materials. Now I work as our internal communications and public affairs manager, where I help both our internal and external education programs, community outreach, and grant writing.
What are some of the highlights you’ll share during the session? How do you hope your experiences impact attendees?
One highlight that I plan to share is our battery recycling program in connection with Take Action SC and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control that offers educational guides, flyers, and incentives for schools all over South Carolina to hold lithium battery recycling drives. I hope that sharing our first attempt at this plan will inspire others to try to create similar programs and that the questions from the audience will spark ways to make our program even better.
What do you hope attendees learn from the session?
I hope that attendees are inspired to try different ways of creating educational programs, like interdisciplinary partnerships and specially designed competitions.
