Featured Speakers

Thank you for joining us at Water@Michigan 2026: Water+Energy! We look forward to seeing you at future Water@Michigan events during the 2026-2027 academic year. 

Water@Michigan 2026: Water+Energy brought together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and community leaders to examine how water systems and the energy transition are reshaping Michigan, the Great Lakes region, and beyond.

The symposium highlighted the growing connections between water and energy in infrastructure, governance, and community outcomes. Participants explored how these links can be strengthened to create more resilient, equitable, and sustainable systems.

Through keynotes, workshops, lightning talks, and student posters, attendees collaborated across disciplines to envision the future of water and energy in the Great Lakes. Sessions emphasized how research, practice, and policy can align to address urgent and emerging water challenges.

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Symposium Agenda

Morning Agenda

• Registration opens (8:30 AM)
• Welcome and Morning Keynote Address: The Battle of the Black Snake: Line 5 and Tribal Treaty Rights (9:00 AM)  | Whitney Gravelle, President of Bay Mills Indian Community
  • Location: Forum Hall
• Concurrent Morning Sessions (Great Lakes Rooms - 10:00 AM)
  • River Notes: Visual Art-Making Workshop | Facilitator: Stephanie Prechter in partnership with The Arts Initiative
  • Working with Communities Facing Data Centers Workshop | Facilitator: The Center for EmPowering Communities at the Graham Sustainability Institute
  • Anchors in Turbulent Seas: How the Great Lakes Kept the Anishnaabek in Michigan | Facilitator: Eric Hemenway, Humanities Program Manager at SEAS and AnishnaabeOdawa

• Energy Perspectives on Water Session (11:30-12:00 PM)

  • Facilitator:  Liesl Clark, Director, Climate Action Engagement (SEAS), with Johanna Mathieu, Associate Professor (EECS) and Director, Institute for Energy Solutions and Seth Guikema, Professor (IOE)

  • Location: Forum Hall

• Lunch, Networking, Student Poster Session  & Afternoon Registration (12:00 PM)

Afternoon Agenda

• Welcome and Afternoon Launch (1:00 PM)
  • Location: Forum Hall
• A Vision for Impact | Shalanda Baker, VP for Sustainability and Climate Action
  • Location: Forum Hall
• Planet Aqua: Building the Blue Economy | Jeremy Rifkin
  • Location: Forum Hall
• Water+Energy Lightning Talks (2:10 PM)
  • Location: Forum Hall
    • Water Flows Like Money: Financial Risk at the Energy-Water Nexus with Peter Adriaens (Finance/CEE)
    • A Quick Tour of On-Land and In-Water Energy Projects in the Great Lakes Basin with John Bratton (LimnoTech)
    • Offshore Wind Energy in the Great Lakes: Why It Matters, Where It Works, How to Move Forward with M. Javad Javaherian (NAME)
    • Facilitating communication on sustainable water use across the Great Lakes states and provinces with James Polidori (Great Lakes Commission)
    • The Digital Thirst: Can Michigan’s Water Afford the AI Revolution? With Josef Osumeje (MIDAS)
    • Data Centers and Drinking Water: Assessing Municipal Water Vulnerability in the Great Lakes with Dani Jones (CIGLR)
    • Water Affordability – Strategies for Protecting the Right to Clean, Safe, and Affordable Water Now & Forever with Norrel Hemphill (We the People)
    • Decarbonizing Aquatic Mobility: A Youth-Led Design Workshop in the Detroit River with David Porter (LSA)
• Concurrent Afternoon Sessions (Great Lakes Rooms - 3:00 PM)
  • U-M's Role in the Blue Economy | Facilitator: Liesl Clark (SEAS) | Panelists: Jeremy Rifkin; Tim Dekker (LimnoTech)
  • Power Plants to Parklands | With Kelly Thayer, Senior Policy Advocate, and Jill Geiger, Special Projects Director with Environmental Law & Policy Center; Aaron Bodbyl-Mast and Nealy Molhoek (Ottawa County Parks & Recreation)
  • Collective and Transboundary Governance Workshop | Moderator: Marc Gaden, SEAS and Great Lakes Fishery Commission | Panelists: Matthew Fletcher (Michigan Law and Chief Justice of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians); John Dettmers (Director of Fishery Management, Great Lakes Fishery Commission); and Rebecca Pearson (Project Manager, Global Center for Climate Change and Transboundary Waters)
• Afternoon Closing Remarks and Special Video Message from U.S. Senator Gary Peters
• Reception & Networking (4:20 PM)

Parking and Directions

Please see the attached diagram for parking information around Palmer Commons.

• Palmer Commons Parking Structure (both Visitor and Staff): Located at 100 Washtenaw Drive.
  • From west Ann Arbor, head eastbound on E. Huron Street to Palmer Drive or from east Ann Arbor, head westbound on Washtenaw Road to Palmer Drive, turn in, and the structure is on your left. Staff parking is the 1st gate, and visitor parking is the 2nd gate.
• Thayer Street Parking Structure (UM Staff Parking): Located at 216 S. Thayer Street – (.5 miles/10 min walk)
  • Walking Directions: Exit structure to the leM and go to E. Washington Street and turn right. Head east on Washington >ll the street dead ends into Fletcher Street. Cross the road and there is a walkway that leads to Palmer Commons.
• Liberty Square Parking Structure (Public parking): located at 510 E. Washington Street – (.5 miles/12 min walk)
  • Walking Directions: Exit structure to the right and head east on Washington >ll the street dead ends into Fletcher Street. Cross the road and there is a walkway that leads to Palmer Commons.
• Metered Street Parking: There are also metered spaces available on the streets surrounding the campus. Be sure to check the time limits and rates.

Please check parking availability and rates prior to the event, as they can vary. Consider downloading and using the EPark app for metered parking. Events on campus can bring lots of visitors to campus. Please arrive early to secure parking. Additionally, consider using public transit or ride-sharing services as alternative transportation methods if parking is limited.