UT Energy Week 2015

February 16, 2015 – February 20, 2015

More than 400 people attended the first annual UT Energy Week, a gathering of experts from academia, industry, non-profit organizations, and the news media co-hosted by UT Austin’s Energy Institute and student-run Longhorn Energy Club, with the participation of schools, colleges, and centers engaged in energy research.

The program featured keynote addresses from prominent energy experts, including Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Christi Craddick, who provided insights on the state’s regulation of the oil and gas industry during boom and bust cycles; CPS Energy CEO Doyle Beneby, who discussed how the nation’s largest municipally owned electric utility is actively embracing new technologies for customers seeking new products and services; and UT Austin Prof. John Goodenough, inventor of the lithium-ion battery, who provided a rare glimpse at the inner-workings of a brilliant mind dedicated to scientific research and discovery.

UT Energy Week 2015 was co-hosted by the Energy Institute and the student-led Longhorn Energy Club with the participation of various schools and colleges engaged in energy-related research on the UT Austin campus.

UT Energy Week also showcased the work of UT Austin students in two research contests, including a startup competition that awarded winners $100,000 in cash and prizes. The week concluded with the inaugural symposium of the KBH Center for Energy, Law and Business, featuring discussions among experts on geopolitics in Latin America.

With an eye on the scientists of tomorrow, the conference included a series of free evening events, including a town hall meeting on hydraulic fracturing, a tour of the university’s famed microgrid, a community science fair, and the latest installment of the Environmental Science Institute’s popular lecture series, Hot Science–Cool Talks.