EXPERT PANEL: PROGRESS AND POTENTIAL IN THE TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY
Wednesday, Sept 4, 2024
4p-6:30p
University Club | Chicago
Please join HCC and CFA Society Chicago for an expert panel discussion on progress and potential in the transition to clean energy across the US Energy sector, including the latest trends in carbon transformation technologies.
PANELISTS
Rep Sean Casten, Illinois Congressman, Vice Ranking Member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee; scientist, clean energy entrepreneur and business leader in renewable energy technologies.
Dr. Y. Shirely Meng—Professor of molecular engineering at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and chief scientist of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science at the Argonne National Laboratory.
Dr. Zara Summers— Chief Science Officer, LanzaTech, a carbon recycling company. Leads company’s Science Team combining biology and engineering to tackle carbon transformation.
Moderated by Matthew Roling (HKS), sustainability consultant at KPMG, the panel of private and public sector leaders will:
Discuss and celebrate progress that has been made moving the US energy transition forward
Provide an earnest appraisal of the challenges that remain
Identify priority steps that need to be taken to ensure our country’s climate ambitions are met
In addition to a discussion providing cutting-edge insights and a window into groundbreaking work in energy transition, the event will provide networking opportunities for Harvard alumni, CFA Society members and all guests before and after the panel discussion.
EVENT TIMING/FORMAT
4:00-4:30p: Registration and Networking- cocktails & appetizers (to continue after panel)
4:30-5:30p: Panel Discussion followed by audience Q&A
5:30-6:30p: Networking Reception- cocktails & appetizers
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Wednesday, 9/4/24
Time: 4:00-6:30p
Location: University Club | 76 E Monroe St | Chicago, IL 60603
MAPS
Registration and Pricing—Register Here or click button below
All Harvard alumni & your guests – $55
Students— $20
SPEAKERS
Moderator
Matt Roling, Director of Sustainability and Energy Transition Consulting (moderator)
Matt Roling is a Director based in Chicago and specializes in Energy Transition & Sustainability Advisory at KPMG. With over 15 years of experience in energy transition, corporate finance, and technology commercialization, he provides sustainability and decarbonization advice to a diverse range of public and private sector clients. Matt's expertise lies in sustainability policies and technologies such as clean hydrogen, carbon pricing, and greenhouse gas accounting. He holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, as well as a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Speaker
Representative Sean Casten
As a scientist, clean energy entrepreneur and CEO, and now as a Member of Congress representing the western suburbs of Chicago. Congressman Sean Casten has dedicated his life to fighting climate change. Rep. Casten draws upon his previous private-sector experience in Congress to craft market-based solutions to reduce emissions while creating jobs and spurring economic growth. Rep. Casten serves on the House Financial Services Committee and is Vice Ranking Member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. He also serves as Vice-Chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) and is a Co-Chair of the Sustainable Investment Caucus.
Rep. Casten has a Master of Engineering Management and a Master of Science in Biochemical Engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. While at Dartmouth, he did fundamental research in thermophilic fermentation technology to produce cellulosic ethanol and engineering analyses of integrated ethanol, heat and power plants.
Rep. Casten worked as a clean energy consultant and manager at Arthur D. Little then served as the president and CEO of Turbosteam Corporation, which focused on utilizing energy recycling technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by generating heat and power from previously wasted energy. In 2006, Casten co-founded Recycled Energy Development (RED), which focused on recycling wasted energy and converting energy facilities to cleaner, more economic uses.
Casten was a founding chairman of the Northeast CHP Initiative, a nonprofit advocacy organization with a mission to advance policies that favor energy efficiency in the Northeast United States.
While working diligently in Washington on behalf of Illinois’ 6th Congressional District, Rep. Casten is also committed to keeping in close contact with his constituents. He lives in Downers Grove with his family.
Speaker
Dr. Y. Shirely Meng, Chief Scientist and Professor
Dr. Y. Shirley Meng is a Professor at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. She serves as the Chief Scientist of the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS) Argonne National Laboratory. Dr. Meng is the principal investigator of the research group - Laboratory for Energy Storage and Conversion (LESC), that was established at University of California San Diego since 2009. She held the Zable Chair Professor in Energy Technologies at University of California San Diego (UCSD) from 2017-2022. Dr. Meng received several prestigious awards, including ACS Research Excellence in Electrochemistry (2024), ECS Battery Division Research Award (2023), the C3E technology and innovation award (2022), the Faraday Medal of Royal Chemistry Society (2020), International Battery Association IBA Research Award (2019), Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists Finalist (2018), C.W. Tobias Young Investigator Award of the Electrochemical Society (2016) and NSF CAREER Award (2011). Dr. Meng is elected Fellow of Electrochemical Society (FECS), Fellow of Materials Research Society (FMRS) and Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She is the author and co-author of more than 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, two book chapters and eight issued patents. She is co-founder of two battery startup companies: Unigrid and ExPost Technology. Dr. Meng received her Ph.D. in Advance Materials for Micro & Nano Systems from the Singapore-MIT Alliance in 2005. She received her bachelor’s degree in Materials Science with first class honor from Nanyang Technological University of Singapore in 2000.
Speaker
Zara Summers, Chief Science Officer
Dr. Zara Summers is the Chief Science Officer at LanzaTech, where she oversees the technology pipeline and supports both innovation and commercial technology deployment. She leads a dynamic team at the intersection of biology and engineering to drive advancements in carbon transformation technologies. As a strategic thought leader in the sustainability space, Zara plays a pivotal role in LanzaTech's mission to decarbonize the energy and heavy industry sectors.
Zara has a deep portfolio of projects and oversees multidisciplinary teams encompassing engineering biology, modeling, fermentation at all scales from lab to commercial, analytics, biomanufacturing, operations, and technology strategy. Her comprehensive oversight ensures that LanzaTech remains at the forefront of scientific innovation and technological development.
With nearly a decade of experience at ExxonMobil, Zara has held key scientific and leadership roles, developing strategic initiatives focused on biological solutions to facilitate the energy transition. She was instrumental in shaping ExxonMobil’s corporate research strategy on Nature-Based Solutions and assessed the impact of subsurface microorganisms on CO2 sequestration.
Zara’s career is defined by her commitment to integrating economic, environmental, and climate stability into actionable solutions. At LanzaTech, she spearheads efforts to mitigate climate change by providing sustainable solutions that meet global energy demands and promote economic growth. Her leadership has been crucial in advancing scientific research and commercializing groundbreaking technologies.
Zara holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota, solidifying her expertise in microbiology and its applications to climate and energy challenges.