Join us for Decarbonization Dialogues: Strategies, Insights & Aspirations for Research Excellence, a special fall symposium hosted by the Graham Sustainability Institute and a diverse group of university co-sponsors. This event aims to bring together the U-M research community to enhance and advance our collective efforts in decarbonization.
The event will feature key university leaders and distinguished researchers in lively conversation around opportunities to strengthen U-M's decarbonization research efforts, drawing on experiences both within and outside the university.
Attendees will have opportunities to provide direct input on key themes captured in visual murals, to network with colleagues and panelists, and explore tables that showcase resources and support available to U-M’s decarbonization researchers.
We look forward to your participation as we collaboratively shape the future of decarbonization research at U-M.
Agenda
| 1:45 pm | Registration opens |
| 2:00 pm | Welcome & Fireside chat with Shalanda Baker |
| 2:45 pm | Research Community Insights Panel |
| 4:00 pm | Community Response Conversations concurrent with Networking Reception and Resource Tabling |
Fireside Chat with Shalanda Baker
Shalanda Baker
Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action
Before serving as U-M’s inaugural Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action, Shalanda Baker directed the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Justice and Equity. Over her tenure within the Biden administration, she led numerous strategies aiming to enable an equitable energy transition including developing the framework for the White House’s Justice40 Initiative and Regional Energy Democracy Initiative. She has a background in law and previously held faculty positions at Northeastern University, the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, and the University of San Francisco, among others.
Jennifer Haverkamp
Host
Graham Family Director, Graham Sustainability Institute
Jennifer Haverkamp, Graham Family Director of the Graham Sustainability Institute, is an internationally recognized expert on climate change, global environmental policy, and international trade. She also teaches at Michigan Law School and the Ford School of Public Policy and co-chaired U-M's Commission on Carbon Neutrality. Before joining U-M, she held prominent roles at Cornell University, the U.S. State Department (where she led international climate negotiations), the Environmental Defense Fund, and the U.S. Trade Representative's office.
Research Community Insights Panel
In a conversation moderated by Shalanda Baker, panelists from a cross-section of the U-M research community will share their insights and aspirations around key opportunities they see for U-M's decarbonization research.
Todd Allen
Chair
Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences
Arthur “Skip” Lupia
Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation
Office of the Vice President for Research
Shelie Miller
Center for Sustainable Systems Co-Director
School for Environment & Sustainability
Jonathan Overpeck
Dean
School for Environment & Sustainability
Kathy Velikov
Associate Dean for Research and Creative Practice
Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning
Community Response Conversations
The reception will feature two sequential Community Response Conversations during which attendees will share their own insights into two key research opportunities: Campus-as-Lab and Broader Impacts, Community Benefits & Engagement. Campus leaders in these areas will engage in informal conversations with attendees. Insights from these exchanges will be translated live into a visual mural, reflecting a more nuanced understanding of faculty aspirations in each area.
Campus as Lab
Alex Bryan
Director
Student Life Sustainability
Tony Kolenic
Director
Matthaei Botanical Gardens & Nichols Arboretum
Johanna Mathieu
Director
Institute for Energy Solutions
Shana Weber
Associate Vice President
Campus Sustainability
Broader Impacts, Community Benefits & Engagement
Liesl Clark
Director of Climate Action Engagement
School for Environment & Sustainability
Daniel Cooper
Associate Director
Global CO2 Initiative
Rob VanRenterghem
Partnership Development - Physical Sciences
Innovation Partnerships
Charlene Zietsma
Faculty Director
Erb Institute
Meet the Co-Sponsors
- Center for Sustainable Systems
- Erb Institute
- Fastest Path to Zero
- Global CO2 Initiative
- Graham Sustainability Institute
- Institute for Energy Solutions
- Office of the Vice Provost for Research
- School of Environment & Sustainability
- Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning
Have questions? Contact [email protected].
Since the 2020 launch of the Carbon Neutrality Acceleration Program (CNAP), the Graham Sustainability Institute has worked to strengthen decarbonization research efforts across U-M through direct faculty support and by connecting and amplifying other campus initiatives.
At the Graham Sustainability Institute, our dedication to academic excellence for the public good is inseparable from our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our mission of engaging, empowering, and supporting faculty, staff, and students to foster sustainability solutions includes ensuring that each member of our community thrives. We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are key to empowerment, and the advancement of sustainability knowledge, learning, and leadership. See our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page.