Engineers and political activists gathered Friday to present a solution to the United States’ dependence on oil.

Student groups urged student involvement in environmental and alternative energy policies and research at the Climate and Energy Solutions Fair in the Gallery Room of the Memorial Union.

The fair, with a dozen or so attendees, showcased work and research done by groups and individuals at Iowa State in order to promote alternative resources, which included representatives of Students for Iowa Public Interest Research Group, Team PrISUm and electrical and computer engineers.

Students for Iowa PIRG is the group that promotes the Campus Climate Challenge, 20/20 Vision, Hunger and Homeless Campaign and most recently participated with nearly 6,000 students in the Power Shift conference that took place Nov. 2-5 at the University of Maryland.

The event promoted student issues such as climate change. Devin Hartman, senior in political science, vice president for Students for Iowa PIRG and regional director for 20/20 Vision, said the goal of the group was to unite students over problems, saying the group brings together students worried about national security with those worried about global warming.

“We are left in a situation that threatens our national security, our public health, our economy and a humanitarian crisis when you look at the long-term effects of climate change,” Hartman said. “We have to break the old way of thinking and forge a new energy future that will put us on the path to sustainability.”

Another Students for Iowa PIRG member, Joshua McGinnis, senior in biology, said the group was very politically involved, and that he has seen the majority of the presidential candidates who have visited campus. The group attends presidential lectures wearing bright blue shirts, and is accompanied by a person dressed as a snowman to make sure that they are seen and their message is heard, McGinnis said.

“The youthful generation does have a big stake on what goes on in the future,” McGinnis said. “We try to get out there and show the presidential candidates that they can’t ignore what the younger generation has to say. We want answers to what we think is important.”

McGinnis said he was happy with the turnout. He said it could have been better if they had more time to advertise, but much of the group had been out of town at the Power Shift conference. He said the fair was meant to showcase actual work being done on campus to encourage student involvement.

“By seeing what students on this campus are doing, you’re better able to put things in perspective,” McGinnis said.

One of the groups showcasing its work was Team PrISUm, the ISU group known for its solar car. The group comprises mainly engineers who tend to be interested in alternative energy.

Team PrISUm is in the progress of building a solar-powered car that it will race from Calgary, Canada, to Austin, Texas, in July. The group has been participating in the race since 1999. Sarah Kelly, senior in mechanical engineering, president of Team PrISUm and future driver of the student-built solar car, said the group tries to get younger students involved.

“We have a lot of outreach programs,” Kelly said. “We try to spread the idea of alternative energy, specifically in transportation.”

Another group of students promoting solar energy through displays of their research were the electrical and computer engineers. The group, which does research on solar power, showed a slide show that had graphs of temperature and C02 emission as well as the benefits of solar energy.

Atul Madhavan, graduate student in electrical and computer engineering, said solar energy is the ideal alternative source of energy.

“Our reliance on fossil fuels will have to end some day,” Madhavan said.

The slide show also included pictures of homes with solar panels, a solar-powered water well and solar-powered lanterns, which, Madhavan said, have been a “life-saver” in India, where there isn’t much electricity but plenty of sunlight.

Madhavan said the United States is spending billions of dollars on oil every day while a lot of solar energy is being wasted.

Aaron Schonhoff, senior in history, said he attended the fair because of his interest in solar energy. He said he had known about the electrical and computer engineers’ research on solar energy and attended because he wanted to find out more about how it is done and what advancements have been made.

“I got a few questions answered,” Schonhoff said. “I’d like to, someday, if it’s feasible, have a solar-powered house.”