Wednesday, October 30, 2013

11/7 - TEF Hosts Ted Maa of Pine Brook Partners


THE TEXAS ENERGY FORUM HOSTS:
TED MAA of PINE BROOK PARTNERS
THURS, NOV 7, 6-7pm, GSB 5.153
Ted Maa
Join us as we host Ted Maa from Pine Brook Partners.  He will be speaking on attractive investment opportunities in the oil and gas sector.

The presentation will be on Thursday, November 7, 6-7pm in GSB 5.153. It will be open to all UT students free of charge. Free food and drinks will also be provided, but seating will be limited so please arrive early.

Mr. Maa joined Pine Brook in July 2012 and is a vice president on the energy investment team.  Mr. Maa represents Pine Brook as a director of Comet Ridge Resources, LLC and Saguaro Resources Ltd.

Prior to joining Pine Brook, Mr. Maa was a vice president in the Energy Infrastructure Group at Denham Capital Management, LP, where he specialized in energy infrastructure and oilfield services investment opportunities.   Prior to that, Mr. Maa was an analyst in the Global Investment Research Group at Goldman, Sachs & Co, where he focused on energy master limited partnerships.  Earlier in his career, he spent two years with Apache Corporation as an analyst in the Strategic Planning Group.

Mr. Maa holds a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Texas and an M.B.A. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Monday, April 29, 2013

4/30 - Energy with the CEO

Energy with the CEO
Randy Foutch
Tuesday, April 30, 12:15 PM 
Bass Lecture Hall (Basement of LBJ School). Light lunch served at 11:50am
     
About the speaker:
Randy A. Foutch is the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of  Laredo Petroleum. Mr. Foutch has over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Prior to the formation of Laredo Petroleum, Mr. Foutch founded Latigo Petroleum, Inc. and  Lariat Petroleum, Inc. 
 
Mr. Foutch is a member of the National Petroleum Council, America's Natural Gas Alliance and the Advisory Council of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas, Austin. Mr. Foutch serves on several nonprofit and private industry boards. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Texas and a Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Houston.

Monday, April 8, 2013

4/11 - Unlocking Energy Innovation

Unlocking Energy Innovation
Richard Lester
Thursday, April 11, 5:15 PM 
Mezes Hall (MEZ) 1.306. Refreshments served at 5pm     
 
About the speaker:
Richard Lester is Japan Steel Industry Professor and Head of the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he is also the faculty co-chair and founding Director of the MIT Industrial Performance Center. His research focuses on innovation management and policy, with an emphasis on the energy and manufacturing sectors. He is currently leading the Energy Innovation Project, a major MIT study of strategies for upgrading the U.S. energy innovation system.
 
As head of NSE, Professor Lester works with his faculty colleagues to advance the Department’s role at the forefront of research and education on energy and non-energy applications of nuclear science and technology.
 
Professor Lester obtained his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Imperial College (London) and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from MIT, and has been a member of the MIT faculty since 1979. He serves as an advisor or consultant to corporations, governments, foundations and non-profit groups, and lectures frequently to academic, business and general audiences throughout the world.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

4/2 - TEF Hosts Statoil

THE TEXAS ENERGY FORUM HOSTS:
STATOIL
TUES, APRIL 2, 7-8pm, GSB 3.138
Join us as we host Stephen Bull and David Kalish from Statoil. They will be speaking on energy and the Shale revolution.

The presentation will be on Tuesday, April 2, 7-8pm in GSB 3.138. It will be open to all UT students free of charge. Free pizza and drinks will also be provided, but seating will be limited so please arrive early.


Stephen Bull is a Vice President in Statoil’s US Onshore business area. Statoil entered US shale in 2008 with the Chesapeake Energy joint venture in the Marcellus. In 2010, Statoil expanded into the Eagle Ford with Talisman Energy. In 2011, Statoil acquired Brigham Exploration in the Bakken play, which is Statoil’s first US shale operated asset.  Stephen Bull has worked with all Statoil’s shale assets as the VP for Commercial and Strategy and has written on shale developments for the Oil & Gas Journal, World Oil and Oxford University’s Oxford Energy Forum. Based in Austin, TX Stephen Bull’s current role is to manage the integration of Brigham Exploration into Statoil. His previous positions in Statoil included Head of International Strategy, Corporate Risk Manager and Head of Oil Market Analysis. Previously Bull worked in investment banking for JP Morgan in London. He holds an MSc in Politics and Economics from the London School of Economics, UK.

Monday, March 4, 2013

3/7 - International Low-Carbon Technology Transfers: Do Intellectual Property Regimes Matter?

International Low-Carbon Technology Transfers: Do Intellectual Property Regimes Matter?
Varun Rai    
Thursday, March 7, 5:15 PM 
Mezes Hall (MEZ) 1.306. Refreshments served at 5pm     
     
About the speaker:
Dr. Varun Rai is an Assistant Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and a Faculty Fellow at the University's Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy. Prior to joining UT Austin he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development (PESD) at Stanford University. 
 
His principal research interests are in technological change and energy; energy and development; and climate change policy. His research combines energy systems modeling with the political economy of energy markets to understand how changes in energy technologies, market conditions, policies and regulation, and environment could impact energy generation. 
 
Dr. Rai received his Ph.D. and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford with specialization in energy systems and technologies. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. He was a Global Economic Fellow in 2009.
 
This event is co-sponsored by the Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal.

Monday, February 18, 2013

2/28 - All You Ever Wanted to Know About Smart Grids

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Smart Grids
John McDonald
Thursday, February 28, 5:15 PM 
Mezes Hall (MEZ) 1.306. Refreshments served at 5pm     
     
About the speaker:
John D. McDonald, P.E., is Director, Technical Strategy and Policy Development for GE Energy Management’s Digital Energy business.  John has 38 years of experience in the electric utility industry. John is responsible for setting and driving the vision that integrates GE’s standards participation, and Digital Energy’s industry organization participation, thought leadership activities, regulatory/policy participation, education programs, and product/systems development into comprehensive solutions for customers.
 
John is Past President of the IEEE PES, Chair of the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) Board, and a charter member of the IEEE Brand Ambassadors Program. John received his B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. (Power Engineering) degrees from Purdue University, and an M.B.A. (Finance) degree from the University of California-Berkeley. John was Editor of the Substations Chapter, and a co-author, for the book The Electric Power Engineering Handbook, co-sponsored by the IEEE PES and published by the CRC Press in 2000. John is Editor-in-Chief for the book Electric Power Substations Engineering, Third Edition, published by Taylor & Francis/CRC Press in 2012.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Special Talk: Energy Policy in Abu Dhabi: Big Lessons for America from a Tiny Oil Sheikdom

Friday, February 15th, 12:15PM
Bass Lecture Hall (basement of LBJ School)
No RSVP, Light Lunch Provided 
 
Announcing:
The UT Energy Symposium is excited to announce this talk with a leading global practitioner in energy policy and investment. Please join us for Free Light Lunch and a conversation about his experience and insights.
 
This event is co-sponsored The Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law (TJOGEL).
 
Speaker Bio:
As Executive Director of Economic affairs for the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, Mr. Scott leads an interdisciplinary team of analysts charged with conducting targeted research and providing strategic economic policy advice to the Chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Executive Council.  In his role as Executive Director of Energy and Economic Affairs, Mr. Scott has helped organize and lead an interagency working group that has been charged with analyzing future energy demand across the UAE and developing strategies to meet that demand.
 
A native of the state of Utah in the United States, Mr. Scott has worked extensively in the Middle East region and brings a unique policy perspective based upon his combined government and private sector work experience. 
 
Prior to taking on his current role with the Executive Affairs Authority, Mr. Scott worked as a regional vice president for Occidental Petroleum Corporation.  From 2001-2002, he served at the White House as the National Security Council’s Director for Arabian Peninsula and North African Affairs. Mr. Scott is a former US Foreign Service Officer and a veteran of the United States Army.  He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and a former graduate fellow with the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad at the American University of Cairo.

2/14 - Recent Developments in Unconventional Gas Law and Regulation

Recent Developments in Unconventional Gas Law and Regulation
John Hays
Thursday, February 14, 5:15 PM 
Mezes Hall (MEZ) 1.306. Refreshments served at 5pm
 
About the speaker:
John R. Hays, Jr. has a unique background in government, academia, and the private practice of law. He has served as an Examiner with the Railroad Commission of Texas and is an Adjunct Professor of Energy Law at the University of Texas School of Law. Mr. Hays has written and presented numerous papers on energy law, regulation, and litigation to such groups as the State Bar of Texas, the Department of Energy, the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association, the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, the University of Houston Law Center, and the Center for American & International Law. He received his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974 and his B.A. from Rice University in 1971 with a major in economics and business administration.

Monday, February 4, 2013

2/7 - UTES Lecture: Emerging Supply- and Demand-Side Technologies are Pressuring Regulators to Change Course – But Do They Have the Political Will?

Emerging Supply- and Demand-Side Technologies are Pressuring Regulators to Change Course – But Do They Have the Political Will?
Sherman Elliott
Thursday, February 7, 5:15 PM
Mezes Hall (MEZ) 1.306. Refreshments served at 5pm
 
About the speaker:
Sherman J. Elliott is currently a consultant providing business, regulatory and economic consulting to corporate clients, law firms, regulatory bodies, and government/non-government agencies. He served as Commissioner at the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) from 2008 through 2012.
 
Prior to his appointment at the ICC, he served as manager of State Regulatory Affairs for the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (Midwest ISO). Before joining the Midwest ISO, he was employed as a senior energy policy advisor to ICC Commissioners on state and federal issues for eight years.
 
He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Monday, January 28, 2013

1/31 - UTES Lecture: Energy Conservation Behavior and the Behavioral Wedge

Energy Conservation Behavior and the Behavioral Wedge
Thomas Dietz
Thursday, January 31, 5:15 PM 
Mezes Hall (MEZ) 1.306. Refreshments served at 5pm
 
About the speaker:
Thomas Dietz is a Professor of Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy (ESPP) and Assistant Vice President for Environmental Research at Michigan State University. He is also Co-Director of the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessment Center. He holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis, and a Bachelor of General Studies from Kent State University. Dr. Dietz is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been awarded the Sustainability Science Award of the Ecological Society of America as well as the Distinguished Contribution Award of the American Sociological Association Section on Environment.
 
At the National Research Council he has served as chair of the U.S. National Research Council Committee on Human Dimensions of Global Change and the Panel on Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making, and currently is Vice Chair of the Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change of the America’s Climate Choices study. He is currently a member of the NRC Committee to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program.  He has co-authored or co-edited twelve books and more than 100 papers and book chapters. His current research examines the human driving forces of environmental change, environmental values and the interplay between science and democracy in environmental issues.

Monday, January 14, 2013

1/17 - UTES Lecture: Alternatives for Mitigating the Natural Resources Curse

Alternatives for Mitigating the Natural Resources Curse
  Scott Gaille
Thursday, January 17, 5:15 PM 
Mezes Hall 1.306. Refreshments served at 5pm
 
About the speaker:
Scott Gaille is an Adjunct Professor of Management at Rice University’s Graduate School of Business and Chief Compliance Officer and general counsel for ZaZa Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: ZAZA).  He is the author of three books and several law review articles, including a textbook based on his course at Rice, International Energy Development. 
 
Previously, Scott was Director - Business Development for Occidental Oil & Gas Corporation. His responsibilities there included starting and growing new business units in Africa, the Middle East and South America.  Prior to joining Oxy, Mr. Gaille practiced law with the Energy Section of Vinson & Elkins.  Scott was an Olin Fellow in Law and Economics at the University of Chicago, where he received his Doctor of Law degree with High Honors.  He received a Bachelor of Arts with High Honors at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.