UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The 2017 GEMS Industry Forum, “Balancing our Energy Future,” will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28, in 114 Steidle Building on Penn State's University Park campus. There will be a reception held before the forum from 6 to 6:45 p.m. in the lobby of Steidle Building. Both the reception and forum are free and open to the public.
As a society, we need energy for our everyday lives, and how we extract, manufacture and/or otherwise obtain the sources of that energy is a complex issue. Finding the right balance in both the short and long term will require careful insight, planning and expertise. This year's forum will feature Penn State alumni and faculty who are government and industry leaders in the energy and regulatory sectors. They will discuss their personal insights into the opportunities and challenges facing the pursuit of a reliable and sustainable future surrounding energy.
Lee Kump, dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, will give the welcome address, and Victoria Christensen, a senior Schreyer Honors Scholar studying materials science and engineering, will introduce the speakers and serve as the moderator.
Speakers:
- Scott Perry, Esq., deputy secretary, Office of Oil and Gas Management, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, will present "Energy Policy in Pennsylvania."
- Frederick S. Bresler, III, senior vice president, Operations and Markets, Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection, will present "Markets and the Evolving Energy Mix."
- Seth Blumsack, associate professor of energy policy and economics, Penn State, will present "The Global Push to Cleaner Energy: Fast Lanes and Speed Bumps."
- Erik Pytlak manager, Weather and Streamflow Forecasting group, Bonneville Power Administration, Department of Energy, Portland, Oregon, will present "Meanwhile, Out West: A Meteorologist's Journey into Energy."
The annual speaker series is sponsored by the Graduates of Earth and Mineral Sciences (GEMS), the alumni society for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. The speaker series is intended to increase visibility and access to information on timely and relevant Earth and Mineral Sciences-related focus areas and topics affecting industry and public policy; encourage and educate our students; and encourage collaboration across disciplines. The speaker series alternates between the GEMS Showcase Event, which features Penn State researchers; and the GEMS Industry Forum, which features Penn State alumni who are government and industry leaders.
Those who are unable to attend in person, can watch the livestream at www.ems.psu.edu/GEMSForum2017.
For more information, please visit https://www.ems.psu.edu/alumni/get-involved/gems-alumni-society/gems-speaker-series online or contact Colleen Swetland at clw2@psu.edu.