The Cooperative Developmental Energy Program (CDEP) at Fort Valley State University (FVSU) will celebrate its 41st Annual Energy Career Day and Student Recruitment Conference on February 25-26, 2024. CDEP and its partnering institutions have awarded 461 bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics, Engineering, Chemistry, Geology/Geophysics, Biology, Health Physics, and Computer Science. The partnering institutions include Fort Valley State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Grand Valley State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Alabama, University of Arkansas, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and the University of Texas-Austin. The founder and director of CDEP is Dr. Isaac J. Crumbly.

On Sunday, February 25, CDEP will host an Industry Awards Banquet at 7:30 p.m. in the C.W. Pettigrew Center to honor the recipients of CDEP’s Achievement Awards. The honorees for this year’s banquet are Dr. Charles F. Robinson (Platinum Achievement Award), Chancellor, University of Arkansas; Dr. Robert Jones (Platinum Achievement Award), Chancellor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Fort Valley State University Alumnus; Josetta Jones (Platinum Achievement Award), Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Chevron, and Alysia Green (Joseph Huffstetler Award), General Manager, Information Technology Engineering, Chevron.

Some major companies and governmental agencies supporting the program are Chevron, ExxonMobil, Georgia Power, Geosyntec, Google, Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute, Shell, SLB, U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Additionally, a Scholarship Awards Luncheon will be held at 11:15 a.m. in the C.W. Pettigrew Center on Monday, February 26. CDEP will award 6-year STEM scholarships to students majoring in CDEP’s dual-degree engineering, geoscience, or computer science programs. Each scholarship is valued at approximately $135,000 for a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Members of the audience will consist of representatives from industry and government, CDEP scholarship recipients, CDEP alumni, faculty, and local government officials.

Following the Scholarship Awards Luncheon will be a naming ceremony of the Computer Technology and Mathematics (CTM) Auditorium in honor of Dr. Isaac J. Crumbly at 2 p.m., CTM Building.