Impressive interns at Carbon Recycling International

I had the pleasure of meeting a large contingent of interns spending their summer working at Carbon Recycling International--the world's first industrial plant that converts CO2 emissions from a geothermal plant into methane fuel. The group included a large contingent of American college students from prestigious institutions.  Other nationalities  included Canadian, Polish, German, Chinese and Icelandic.  It was great to talk to these young people committed to making renewable energy the way of the future.

Education, education, education…

April was a great month for building and strengthening educational ties between Iceland and the United States. We welcomed representatives from 17 American colleges and universities who came to introduce Icelandic students to the broad range of educational opportunities in the United States. I am proud to say that among them was the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee—my Alma Mater.

The schools held an event at the Commercial College (Verslunnarskólinn) where several hundred high school and university students attended information sessions and asked many questions about the schools. At the end of the day, every participant from the United States told me how impressed they were with the quality of the Icelandic students and their interest in the United States. I also had the opportunity to meet a group of MBA students from the Harvard Business School who were visiting Iceland to explore its accomplishments in the renewable energy field. We met during a briefing by Carbon Recycling International-a world leader in the production of renewable methanol from carbon dioxide.

University of Southern California supports Iceland green project

I welcomed Professor G.K. Surya Prakash and Robert Aniszfeld, Director and Managing Director of USC's Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute. Professor Prakash is one of the world's leading authorities on hydrocarbon chemistry and an inspirational leader of the movement to promote the wider use of methanol as a way to reduce our dependence on oil and gas.

The visitors have been coming to Iceland over the last few years to follow up and support the work of Iceland's Carbon Recycling International - the world's only industrial producer of methanol from carbon emissions. This is another example of cooperation between some of the world's top scientists from U.S. universities and Icelandic organizations.

U.S. educated interns make a splash in Iceland

During a recent visit to Carbon Recycling International (CRI), I had a chance to listen to a group of U.S. educated interns who are in Iceland for the summer. They are participating in a highly competitive program at CRI—Iceland’s pioneering firm and the first in the world to produce methanol from carbon emissions. While most of the students were from the U.S., others are from Canada, Indonesia, India, Swaziland, Germany, Hong Kong, and Iceland. They were energetic, asked some very good questions about what Embassies do, and are enjoying Iceland. If all students are like this group, our future will be in good hands.