The California Energy Research Center (CERC) at California State University, Bakersfield is holding its annual conference this April, and attendees will notice a few significant changes that set it apart from past events, starting with the name itself.
The Carbon Management Symposium has been renamed as the California Energy Research Conference. The April 9 event now features two tracks, one focused on subsurface topics such as critical minerals, well management and carbon storage and the other on power and energy topics, including infrastructure, microgrids and grid resiliency.
The dual tracks are part of a new effort by the university to expand the reach and appeal of the conference, which brings together industry professionals, policy makers, academics and students to explore challenges and advances in the energy industry through research presentations, panel discussions, exhibits and other programming.
“It reflects the growth that CERC has seen and is a response to what the community has been asking for. There is a lot of interest in the local energy industry on topics like grid stability,” said CERC Director Katy Larson. “We’re building on the excitement that already exists and opening it up to a wider audience. We want to support the needs of many facets of the energy sector.”
The dual tracks aren’t the only changes on tap for this year’s event. While CSUB has usually held a networking mixer the night before the conference, attendees will now have another chance to network after the closing remarks.
“We’re introducing a time for folks to get together after the conference so they can maintain those networking connections,” Larson said.
While students have always been invited to the conference, Larson said few would typically attend. To help encourage more students to participate this year, CSUB is now offering a discounted ticket for students. In addition, CSUB received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will cover the cost for up to 100 students to attend.
“We hope more students will be interested in going, especially since it no longer focuses solely on subsurface energy,” Larson said. “This is a great opportunity for students to learn and network with industry professionals.”
One student who is planning to attend is computer science major Brooklyn Stitt, who was hired by CERC last year, along with a couple other students, to help develop the conference’s new website. She also works on campus as a tutor and teaching assistant.
“It was a little challenging at the beginning. There was definitely a learning curve,” Stitt said about working on the website. “Once we got around those challenges, it became easier and we got more comfortable with it.”
Stitt said she’s never participated in the conference before and is looking forward to attending this year.
“I’m excited to find out what CERC has in store and enjoy the conference,” she said. “Attending the CERC Conference seems like a great learning experience. Knowledge is always a great thing to have. I think it’s going to be a very informative event.”
Stitt, who hopes to become a software engineer, said she is excited about the opportunity to network with industry professionals at the conference. She hopes she can attend similar events in the future.
“I think it’s always fun to hear directly from people in the field,” she said. “This is just the start of my new experience with conferences. I plan to attend a lot more. CERC has opened up so many opportunities for me.”
Larson hopes that conference attendees come away from the experience having learned something valuable and forged connections with people that can lead to future discussion and collaboration.
“It’s important to maintain those connections and conversations, to learn from each other so we can navigate the challenges of the energy sector together,” she said. “I hope attendees are inspired to keep on being creative and flexible within the energy sector here. We have world-class projects in our backyard.”
Larson said the conference is one of the primary methods that CERC fulfills its mission of bringing energy experts together to shape the future of the energy industry in the region.
“CERC has an important role in applied research,” she said. “We can really stand out as a conference by highlighting the research and the technological aspects that need to go into the amazing infrastructure projects we have in Kern County and California.”
Visit the California Energy Research Conference website to register for the event.
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