2026 Schedule

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Thriving Economy Project Event hosted by the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition Institute (SEEC Institute)

Panelists:

• Eric Fins, Vice President, Grove Climate Group
• Lindsey Baxter-Griffith, Founder and CEO, Clean Tomorrow
• Paulina Jaramillo, Trustee Professor, Carnegie Mellon University 

Moderation by: Evan Chapman, Senior Director, Tomorrow Energy Partners

Location: Connan Room, 1st floor, Cohon University Center

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Careers in Energy Networking Reception

• Employers must complete registration

Announcement of the 2026 Research Symposium Winners

8:00 AM

8:00 - 9:00 AM

Breakfast

9:00 AM

9:15 AM

Opening keynote:

• Ramkumar Krishnan, Head of Cleantech Incubation, LG Nova

9:35 AM 

Panel Discussion: Trends in climate tech investing 

Panelists:

• Lara Croushore, Head of Climate, Second Muse
• Elisabeth Iszauk, Associate, Montauk Capital

10:20 AM

Panel Discussion: Challenges and approaches to deploying new grid technologies: How does a startup get a pilot and deployment in the conservative/regulated utility industry? 

Panelists:

• Benjamin Della Rocca, National Security Policy Lead, Anthropic
• Guru Nadkarni, Previously Vice President of Strategic Planning, Con Edison

• Karma Sawyer, Director, Electricity Infrastructure, & Buildings Division Director, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Deanna Zhang, Managing Partner, Node Climate

Moderation by: Reed McManigle, Chief Commercialization Officer, RETI Consortium

11:00 AM

11:15 AM

12:15 PM

Energy & Cleantech Startup Pitch Showcase

• MINQ
• Clear Solar Corporation
• Ecotone Renewables
• Power 3D
• Pittsburgh Coastal Energy
• Woodland Biomass Innovations
• Realizse
• Arieca
• Sudoc
• Sensible Photonics, Inc.
• DKW (a SAVD Solar Subsidiary)
• Clean Plate Innovations
• Grapheon Technologies
• PowIRgen Inc.
• Reclamation Factory
• Pearl Edison
• Thar Energy LLC
• Physics Inverted Materials, Inc.
• H Quest

2:45 PM

3:00 - 4:30 PM

CMU Investor Forum: One-on-one meetings (For investors and startups) 

Location: Connan Room, 1st floor, Cohon University Center

3:00 - 5:00 PM

Sandia BOOST Workshop (Invite only)

Location: McKenna/Peter/Wright Room, 2nd floor, Cohon University Center

3:00 PM

Panel Discussion: Distributed energy resources in an era of load growth: Business opportunities and challenges

Panelists:

• Elizabeth Cook, Vice President of Technical Strategy, Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC)
• Don Dimitrievich, Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager, Energy Infrastructure Credit, Nuveen
• Colleen Lueken, Vice President of Analytics, Lightshift Energy 
• Daniel Schnitzer, Consulting Advisor - Analytics, Honeywell; formerly CEO of Sparkmeter

Moderation by: Chris Telmer, Associate Professor, Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University 

4:00 PM

Closing keynote

Announcement of the 2026 Scott Institute Entrepreneurship Award Winners

5:00 - 7:00 PM

Energy and Cleantech Networking Reception 

Sponsor Remarks: Erienne Olesh, Executive Director, Office of Innovation and Commercialization, West Virginia University; CEO, RETI 

Location: Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper School of Business

8:00 AM

8:00 - 9:00 AM

9:15 AM

9:30 AM

10:00 AM

Panel Discussion: Growing capacity: How can the US power grid evolve fast enough to meet the energy demands of today and tomorrow? 

Panelists: 

• Kimberly Barrow, Vice Chair, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
• Rachel Hienz, Assistant Training Director, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local #5
• J. Arnold Quinn, Senior VP Regulatory Policy, Vistra
• Madeline Yozwiak, Postdoctoral Researcher, Carnegie Mellon University

Moderation by: Paulina Jaramillo, Trustee Professor, Carnegie Mellon University

10:50 AM

Panel Discussion: Increasing reliability and resilience: What innovations in technology and system design can make the grid more resilient, flexible, and future-ready? 

Panelists: 

• Rick Kephart, VP Technology, Emerson Power and Water Solutions
• Nathan Kroeker, Chief Commercial Officer, Eos Energy Enterprises
• Fang Z. Peng, RK Mellon Endowed Chair Professor, University of Pittsburgh
• Anna Siefken, Director for Policy & Markets, North America, Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Council

Moderation by: Ramteen Sioshansi, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University; Director, Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center (CEIC)

11:45 AM

12:00 - 1:15 PM

Research Exhibition: Engage with CMU grid researchers 

Location: McKenna/Peter/Wright Room, 2nd floor, Cohon University Center

12:00 PM

1:15 PM

Fireside Chat: Electrotech’s national security moment: powering AI, securing the grid, & outcompeting China 

• Mieke Eoyang, Visiting Professor, Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology (CMIST)
• Jordan Henry, Director, Cybersecurity Research Center - National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR)

Moderation by: Harry Krejsa, Director of Studies, Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology, Carnegie Mellon University

2:00 PM

2:15 PM

Panel Discussion: Keeping energy affordable: How can the US reinvent the power grid without making electricity unaffordable for customers? 

Panelists:

• Jane Flegal, Senior Fellow, Searchlight Institute
• Tim Burdis, Director of State Policy Solutions, Pennsylvania - New Jersey - Maryland Interconnection (PJM)
• Steph Joven, Energy Research Analyst, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
• Krysia Kubiak Vila-Roger, Managing Director of External Affairs & Regulatory Law, Duquesne Light Company (DLC)

Moderation by: Destenie Nock, Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University

3:10 PM

3:25 PM

4:05 PM

4:30 PM

Announcement of the 2026 Scott Institute Seed Award Winners

Closing remarks 

5:00 - 6:30 PM

Morning

Technology Showcase

Panel Discussion: Power Generation: “All Hands-on Deck”

Panel Discussion: Power Distribution: “Grid Resiliency in an Electrified Future”

Noon

Keynote lunch: Bob Evans, Cloud Wars

Technology Showcase