The University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business hosted its annual Energy Symposium March 26, 2015 at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
This year’s symposium was entitled “Energy, Economic Prosperity & the Environment - Mutually Compatible Priorities for our Nation,” and explored the ways in which science, technology and policy can help our country derive the best long-term benefits for our emerging energy abundance while achieving real, sustainable progress in areas of environmental concern.
The event brought together both academic and industry leaders to discuss these topics and address the relationships that exist among energy policy, the industry and the environment. Nearly 200 attendees listened as the participants discussed topics ranging from climate change and its effects on the energy industry to ramifications of government regulation on the industry.
The open dialogue was led by two separate panels, with one panel featuring five academic experts from the University of Oklahoma faculty in fields related to energy, the environment and policy, and another panel featuring industry experts that will be able to speak to these issues from a business perspective of energy companies. The panels were comprised of the following experts:
- Ron Bolen – Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Oklahoma
- Harold Brooks – Senior Scientist in Forecast Research at the National Severe Storms Laboratory
- Hank Jenkins-Smith – Professor of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma
- Susan Postawko – Associate Professor of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma
- Jim Sluss – Senior Associate Dean at the University of Oklahoma College of Engineering
- Mark Boling – President of V+ Development Solutions at Southwestern Energy
- Kristi DesJarlais – Senior Vice President and General Manager of Saxum
- Rayola Dougher – Senior Economic Advisor at the American Petroleum Institute
- Andy Weissman – Founder of EBW Analytics Group
“We wanted to give those attending the conference the chance to learn from the dynamic discussions of such a diverse panel,” said Dr. Dipankar Gosh, Executive Director of the Energy Institute. “These panelists each bring a unique perspective on the energy industry and dialogue like this isn’t happening anywhere else.”
The event was headlined by Bill M. Colton, Vice President of Corporate Strategic Planning for ExxonMobil. Colton enlightened the audience by presenting ExxonMobil’s widely read report “The Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040,” where he provided a near- and long-term outlook for the energy industry while outlining the potential threats and strengths that could be realized in 2040.
“Our team worked very hard to bring a diverse set of individuals to the symposium this year in terms of speakers and panelists,” said Gosh. “This year, the symposium was largely focused on the ways good science, technology, and balanced, pragmatic policy, can help us find the best long-term benefits of our energy abundance in this industry.”
A written report that summarizes the topics discussed at the event is available and can be accessed on the Energy Symposium website: Energy Symposium 2015 Report (PDF)
The date for the next Energy Symposium has not yet been set, but those interested in attending, can visit www.ou.edu/price/energyinstitute for more information in the coming months.
