Typically, engineers and scientists fail to engage in the policy-making process, the consequence of which is an incoherent mix of national energy policies that accidentally undermine each other, fail to achieve strategic aims, or are impossible from the outset. The Webber Energy Group at the University of Texas at Austin is seeking to rectify this problem by bridging the divide between policymakers and engineers & scientists for issues related to energy and the environment. For our research, we apply our technical skills to analyze the societal context of our research problems. We bring the scientific method and technical expertise to bear on policy-oriented research questions as a way to inform decision-makers and help get the world onto a better energy path.
| Thursday, January 8, 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10:00–11:15 | Dr. Michael E. Webber | Welcome, Intro, Global Energy Trends, Look Back at 2025, and Group Overview |
| 11:15–11:45 | Dr. Harry Kennard | A Sense of Scale: Energy and the Built Environment |
| 11:45–12:00 | Grace Scarborough | A case study of the Navratil household in Houston |
| 12:00–1:00 | Lunch | |
| 1:00–1:30 | Dr. Joshua Rhodes | Why does Texas have so much renewable energy? |
| 1:30–1:50 | Dr. Drew Kassel | AI, Electric Vehicles, O&G and Heat: Load Growth in Texas |
| 1:50–2:10 | Grayson Cliff | Gulf Winds A’ Blowin’: Offshore Wind in Texas |
| 2:10–2:30 | Braden Pecora | Gulf Shores A’ Glowin’: Has the Nuclear Renaissance Arrived in Texas? |
| 2:30–3:00 | Break | |
| 3:00–3:20 | Andrew Igdal | At What Cost?: A Comprehensive Tool for Transmission Project Costing |
| 3:20–3:40 | Alonso Fernandez | Electric Vehicles and Grid Charging Strategies |
| 3:40–4:00 | Laura Rivera | Assessing Life Cycle Emissions of Geologic Hydrogen |
| 4:00–4:20 | Léa Daniel | Analyzing a Hydrogen Trucking Corridor from Texas to California |
| 4:20–4:45 | Break | |
| 4:45–5:15 | Dr. Emily Beagle | Chaos Theory: Update on U.S. Energy Policy |
| 5:15–6:00 | Sr. Researchers | Free Jazz on Energy: Panel Discussion with the Sr. Researchers |
| 6:00–6:45 | Reception (and group photo) | |
| 6:45–8:30 | Dinner | |
| Friday, January 9, 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8:00–9:00 | Breakfast | |
| 9:00–9:30 | Dr. Yael Glazer | Embodying Sustainability: Updates on Our Efforts in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus and Circular Economy |
| 9:30–9:50 | Eesha Bilal | Rethinking Wastewater: Energy Self-Sufficiency and Policy Insights from Mexico’s Water-Energy Nexus |
| 9:50–10:10 | Emlynn Daniel | Powering Up Recycling: The Energy and Environmental Tradeoffs of 3D Printing with Waste Plastics |
| 10:10–10:30 | Break | |
| 10:30–10:50 | Sandra Banda | Feeding the Drain: The Water Footprint of Food Waste |
| 10:50–11:10 | Johnathan Sicard | Photons to Pecans: Solar Desalination for Afforestation |
| 11:10–11:20 | Dr. Harry Kennard | The Turning Tide: Global Policy Outlook for Blue Carbon |
| 11:20–11:35 | Sarah Reynolds | Watts Up with Watt Watchers |
| 11:35–12:00 | Dr. Michael E. Webber | Improving Global Energy Literacy |
| 12:00–1:00 | Lunch | |
| 1:00 | Adjourn | |
Thank you for your support with investments of money, expertise, and time. This symposium is our way of saying thank you. Your support gives us the ability to perform research that stands the test of time and the resources we need to convey that research to policymakers and the general public. We couldn’t do it without you.