Description:

Technology, Policy, and Individual Actions: Three approaches to address climate change 

Advances in technology alone will not be sufficient to successfully overcome the challenges posed by climate change. A major objective of this symposium is to help engineering researchers place their energy- and climate-related research in the context of other drivers of change such as policy and business considerations, as well as provide updates on the latest in technology development for addressing climate change.

This symposium will be remote. The keynote speaker and panelists will be in-person with one another on the Evanston campus, and their presentations and conversations will be streamed to our participants. We will also invite you to participate in a Q&A during each session. A Zoom link will be provided via email to registrants.

Schedule

8:45 a.m.
Introduction 
9 a.m.
Keynote Speaker

Karen Weigert, Executive Vice President, Slipstream; Sustainability Contributor for Reset, WBEZ Chicago 
9:45 a.m.
Technology Panel

New technologies that cut greenhouse gas emissions are a key pillar in strategies to mitigate global warming. This panel will highlight promising new technologies and research needs to push technology development towards broader-scale adoption.

Moderators

Jeff Richards, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University 
Amgad Elgowainy, Senior Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory 
Panelists

Angelina Galiteva, Founder and Board President at Renewables 100 Policy Institute, Chair of the California Independent System Operator 
Hossein Ghezel-Ayagh, Vice President of Advanced Technology Programs, FuelCell Energy Inc
Hannah Friedman, Investment Associate, Closed Loop Partners
 
10-minute speaker presentations
 
30-minute discussion and audience Q&A
10:45 a.m.
Just Energy and Climate Transitions 

The disadvantaged communities that have disproportionately experienced climate change's effects must be central to development of climate change mitigation strategies. This panel will describe what makes such efforts successful and offer approaches to working with communities and incorporating their needs in climate change solutions.

Moderators

Kim Suiseeya, Assistant Professor; Environmental Policy and Culture Program; Faculty Affiliate at the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research, Northwestern University 
Melissa Rosenzweig, Assistant Professor of Instruction in Anthropology and Environmental Policy and Culture, Northwestern University 
Panelists

Dany Robles, City Energy Policy Coordinator, Illinois Environmental Council
additional panelists to be announced
 
45-minute speaker roundtable
 
15-minute discussion and audience Q&A
11:45 a.m.
Break 
1 p.m.
Welcome to the Party: Why have companies come to care about climate change?

Corporations' and investors' decision-making around sustainability, supply chain, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy use have taken center stage. This panel will offer corporate decision-making perspectives and insights regarding the changing landscape, questions of materiality, and the ways in which the array of stakeholders and forces (shareholders, consumers, supply chain partners, public perception, regulation, long-termism) shape c-suite conversations and considerations.

Moderators

Megan Kashner, Clinical Assistant Professor within Kellogg's Public-Private Interface Initiative (KPPI); Director of Social Impact, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University 
Meghan Busse, Associate Professor of Strategy, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University 
Panelists

Victoria Zimmerman,Director of ESG & Sustainability Strategy Alignment, McDonald's 
Dan Nielsen, Head of Product Management, ESG Indexes, Morningstar
James Margolis,Senior Partner, ERM, Environmental, Safety and Sustainability Management Consulting
 
10-minute speaker presentations
 
30-minute discussion and audience Q&A 
2 p.m.
Synthesis Panel

This panel will provide expert perspectives on the day's discussions and will identify actionable outcomes and next steps. Audience participation will be central to this and all of the panels.

Moderators

Jennifer Dunn, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Associate Director, Northwestern Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering; Associate Director, Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience 
William Miller, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Director, Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience
Panelists

Cristina Negri, Division Director, Environmental Science (EVS), Argonne National Laboratory 
Klaus Weber, Thomas G. Ayers Chair in Energy Resource Management; Professor of Management & Organizations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University 
 
5-minute speaker presentations
 
45-minute discussion and audience Q&A
 
5-minute closing remarks 
3 p.m.
Close