Conference Explores Oklahoma's Role in Developing Renewable Energy

Researchers from across the state will gather to highlight Oklahoma’s bioenergy research efforts during the Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Annual State Conference Tuesday, April 10, at the Wes Watkins Conference Center on the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater.

Leaders in the bioenergy field will engage conference participants through presentations and discussion during an opening plenary session. Scheduled presenters and their topics include:

• Chad Haynes, science and engineering technology advisor, U.S. Department of Energy, The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy: A New Paradigm in Transformational Energy Research
  Watch the video

• Matthew Langholtz, natural resource economist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Overview of the U.S. Billion-Ton Update
  Watch the video

•  Phil Weathers, director of operations, RenTech Inc., From Research to Demonstration – The Rentech BioEnergy Center of Excellence
  Watch the video

Conference attendees will participate in a networking luncheon, where Kelvin Droegemeier, University of Oklahoma Vice President for Research, and Uma D. Venkateswaran, National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR program director, will share information about NSF energy research directions and funding opportunities.  (Watch videos of Dr. Droegemeier's and Dr. Venkateswaran's presentations.)

An afternoon panel session will engage audience members in a discussion of bioenergy sustainability in Oklahoma and the nation, led by speakers from throughout the day.

A scientific poster session and hybrid poster/oral presentation competition will also spotlight research progress in the alternative energy field. More than 50 research posters are expected to be on display at the conference. The scientific poster session is open to all participants. However, the hybrid poster/oral presentation competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students only.

Bioenergy investigators from Oklahoma and nearby states, EPSCoR external advisory board members and program officers from federal granting agencies are invited to attend the event, which is hosted by Oklahoma EPSCoR, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the National Science Foundation.

There is no cost to attend, but registration is required at www.okepscor.org. Abstracts must be submitted via email to the EPSCoR office by March 25; poster abstracts submitted after that date will be accommodated if space allows, on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration ends March 28, but walk-in conference registrants are welcome.

Oklahoma EPSCoR’s central goal is to strengthen the state’s research competitiveness through strategic support of research instruments and facilities, multi-institutional research collaborations and integrated education and research programs. Through the EPSCoR program, researchers from Oklahoma State University, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and the University of Oklahoma are working together to transform native switchgrass into an efficient alternative fuel.

For more information, contact Gina Miller, EPSCoR outreach coordinator, at [email protected] or (405) 744-7645.

Click here to access detailed conference information
Click here to access videos from the conference