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 multi-disciplinary 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 will enter its 25th semester in fall 2023.
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.
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 will be recorded and posted on this page and on the Energy Institute YouTube channel following the event.
Instructor: Carey King
Unique Number (Spring 2024): 59680 (graduate students) / 59215 (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.
Weekly UT Energy Symposiums will resume for the Spring semester on January 16, 2024.
Visit the Energy Institute YouTube channel to catch up on any symposiums you may have missed.
UT Energy Symposium Talks
September 6, 2012
Student Research Showcase
- Ashlynn Stillwell, Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering: “Energy-Water Nexus: Water Impacts on Thermoelectric Power Generation”
- Yezhou Wang, Electrical Engineering: “Power Grid Safety and Security: How to Keep Your Lights On”
- Scott Robinson, Energy and Earth Resources and LBJ School of Public Affairs: “Behavioral Pathways in the Diffusion of Residential Solar PV”
- Steve Bryant, Petroleum Engineering: “Refracturing: Getting More out of Unconventional Resources”
August 30, 2012
Sustainable Architecture: Form, Function, and Energy
Matt Fajkus, Assistant Professor, University of Texas School of Architecture, Principal Architect of Matt Fajkus Architecture, LLC
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
November 17, 2011
Our Sustainable Earth
Dr. Raymond L Orbach, Director, Energy Institute, UT Austin
November 3, 2011
International Coal Markets: Coal, Climate, and China
Richard Morse, Director, Coal and CCS research, Program on Energy, Stanford University
October 27, 2011
Solving the Climate Problem at Scale: An Environmentalist’s Perspective
Armond Cohen, Executive Director, Clean Air Task Force
October 20, 2011
International Mechanisms for Climate Change Finance
Gevorg Sargsyan, Program Coordinator, Climate Investment Funds, World Bank
October 13, 2011
Impact of Wind Generation Development on Thermal Generation Investments
C.K. Woo, Senior Partner, Energy+Environmental Economics
October 6, 2011
The Eagle Ford Shale: Opportunity and Responsibility
David J. Porter, Texas Railroad Commissioner
September 29, 2011
The Future of Natural Gas in the US
Marianne Kah, Chief Economist, ConocoPhillips
September 22, 2011
New Developments in Solar Photovoltaic Technologies and Markets
Dr. Ryne Rafaelle, Vice President for Research and Associate Provost, Rochester Institute of Technology
September 15, 2011
Smart Grids and the Pecan Street Project
Brewster McCracken, Executive Director, Pecan Street Project