UT Energy Symposium
A weekly guest lecture series that is both free and open to the public and available for course credit.
In an effort to provide a multidisciplinary platform for UT faculty and students to interact on the most pressing energy issues facing our world, the Energy Institute sponsors the UT Energy Symposium (UTES), which entered its 28th semester in spring 2025.
The UTES serves as a “convener” for the campus community, uniting students interested in energy issues with faculty and others working on sustainable energy security. Students who register for the symposium receive one credit hour for the 15-week seminar course, which is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. The course is taught in both the fall and spring semesters.
Ongoing themes for UTES include climate change policy, innovation and diffusion of energy technologies, low-carbon technology options and status, and behavioral aspects of energy consumption.
Each UTES talk is recorded and posted on this page and on the Energy Institute YouTube channel.
Instructor: Carey King
Unique Number (Fall 2025): 65605 (graduate students) / 65310 (undergraduates)
Day & Time: Tuesday, 12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact Christa Hopkins, who can be reached at 512-475-8447 or christa@energy.utexas.edu, no later than five (5) business days prior to the event.
UT Energy Symposium Talks
November 21, 2019
Will China Save the Planet?
Barbara Finamore, Natural Resources Defense Council; Senior Attorney and Senior Strategic Director for Asia
November 14, 2019
Political Permit Allocations and the Feasibility of Federal Climate Policy
Dr. Joel Landry, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Energy Economics at Penn State University
November 7, 2019
Making Science Communication More Strategic
Dr. John Besley, Ellis N. Brandt Professor of Public Relations at Michigan State University
October 31, 2019
Energy & Emissions Implications of Self-Driving Vehicles
Kara Kockelman, the Dewitt Greer Professor of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
October 24, 2019
Technology progress and physical constraints on tight oil production
Frank Male, postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin
October 17, 2019
Which Costs Less to Power Our Future - Fossil Fuel or Clean Energy?
Mike Sloan, Virtus Energy Research Associates
October 10, 2019
The 10th Birthday of Perovskite Solar Cells - Will They Ever Grow Up?
Tim Siegler, postdoctoral researcher in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin
October 3, 2019
Elements of Energy: Considering the Role of Critical Metals
Dr. Saleem Ali, Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware
September 26, 2019
Fighting Over Eden: Energy, Environment and Religion in Modern America
Asher Price, Journalist, Austin American-Statesman and 2109 Energy Institute Journalism Fellow
September 19, 2019
Toyota Sustainable Mobility
Edward Mantey, GVP and Executive Advisor of Corporate Strategy & Planning and R&D at Toyota Motor North America
September 12, 2019
A Discussion on the State of Energy Policy and the Role of Energy Markets
Brent Bennett, Policy Analyst, Texas Public Policy Foundation
May 3, 2012
Americans’ Vehicle and Travel Choices: Opportunities for Plug- In Vehicles in the Nation’s Fleet Evolution
Dr. Kara Kockelman, Professor & William J. Murray Jr. Fellow, Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
April 26, 2012
The Future of Water in Texas, and What It Means for Energy
Thomas Mason, Former General Manager of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and currently with the law firm Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody
April 12, 2012
Taking Green Technologies from Innovation to the Market: A VC’s Perspective
Ashmeet Sidana, General Partner, Foundation Capital
April 5, 2012
California’s March Towards Sustainable Energy: Assessing the Record and Lessons for Future
Andrew McAllister, Managing Director, California Center for Sustainable Energy
March 29, 2012
Simulating Complex Systems: Applications to Energy
Dr. Charles Macal, Senior Systems Engineer, Argonne National Laboratory
March 22, 2012
The Energy Industry’s Media Triumphs and Disasters
Mark Fischetti, Energy and Environment Editor, Scientific American
March 8, 2012
National Oil Companies: Fueling Anxiety
Mark Thurber, Associate Director for Research, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, Stanford
March 1, 2012
What the Characteristics of Wind and Solar Electric Power Production Mean for Their Future
Jay Apt, Professor of Technology, Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University
February 23, 2012
From Here to Eternity (and Beyond): Transforming to a Clean Energy Economy
David Crane, President and CEO, NRG Energy
February 16, 2012
Student Research Showcase
- Sudamsh Bai-Reddy, McCombs School of Business See PDF slides in a new window
- Benjamin Sigrin, Energy and Earth Resources and LBJ School of Public Affairs See PDF slides in a new window
- Dave Tuttle, Electrical and Computer Engineering See PDF slides in a new window
- Dan Weisberg, Pecan Street Inc. See PDF slides in a new window
February 8, 2012
Geopolitical Implications of Shale Gas
Amy Jaffe, Fellow in Energy Studies and Director of the Energy Forum, Baker Institute, Rice University
January 19, 2012
Utility of the Future
Roger Duncan, Research Analyst, Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy