Symposium on Sustainable Energy and Environment 2024
In October 2024, the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment hosted the inaugural Symposium on Sustainable Energy and Environment. This annual symposium invites speakers from academia, government, industry, and the public sector with diverse expertise to outline the challenges and ways to mitigate the adverse effects caused by fossil fuels.
Stay tuned for event and registration details for the 2026 ISEE Symposium.
Symposium 2024 Presentations
Symposium 2024 Program
October 16, 2024
Public Lecture
- Harriet Kung, “Science for Energy”
October 17, 2024
Keynote Address
- Daniel Nocera, “Invention to Address the Global Energy Challenge”
Session I: Panel - Global Challenges on Sustainable Energy and Environment
Moderator
- John Byrne, University of Delaware
Panelists
- Peter Lund, Aalto University
- Nqobile Xaba, Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection
- Fotis Sotiropoulos, Virginia Commonwealth University
Session II: Clean Energy Generation and Storage
- Prashant V. Kamat, “Transforming Next Generation Photovoltaics with Semiconductor Nanostructures”
- Ram Gupta, “Battery Technology and Sustainability”
- Indika Arachchige, “Bimetallic Transition Metal Phosphide Nanostructures as High-Efficiency and Earth Abundant Catalysts for Electrochemical Water Splitting”
Session III: Panel - Role of Federal Agencies
Moderator
- Srirama Rao, Virginia Commonwealth University
Panelists
- Gail McLean, Department of Energy
- Nora Savage, National Science Foundation
- Andrea Leeson, Department of Defense
- Bob Swap, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
October 18, 2024
Session IV: Climate Resilience
- Marccus Hendricks, “Murky Waters, Infrastructure, and Environmental Risks: Stormwater Planning and Participation Towards Climate Justice”
- Julie Zinnert, “Climate change, society, and sustainable coastal systems”
- Robert Weiss, “Understanding the Future Impact of Coastal Hazards through Computational Modeling”
Session V: Panel - Education
Moderator
- William Muth, Virginia Commonwealth University
Panelists
- Ghazala Hashmi, Virginia Senator
- Beth Kreydatus, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Josh Bearman, Blue Sky Fund
- Sheri Shannon, Southside ReLeaf
Lunch Speaker
- Vince Maiden, Virginia Department of Energy
Session VI: Sustainability - Global Perspective
- Valerie Thomas, “Research Priorities for a US-Africa Center for Clean Energy Research”
- Farhan Akhtar, "Climate Science under the Paris Agreement"
- Radhika Barua, "Global Supply Chain Resilience, Technology Trends, & New Opportunities for Rare-Earth-Free Permanent Magnets"
Session VII: Environmental Impact - From Science to Policy
- Hani El-Kaderi, “Engineering Next-Generation Solutions: Programmable Porous Organic Polymers for Effective Toxic Gas Removal”
- Patty Oikawa, "Restoring Wetlands as a Nature-Based Climate Solution: A Deep Dive into Greenhouse Gas Measurements and Modeling"
- Bill Shobe, “The Challenge of Effective State-level Climate Policies: An Economist’s View”