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Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions

ORAU’s Annual Meeting addresses key issues facing higher education

Annual Meeting logoORAU's Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions is held to explore relevant topics in higher education. The meeting not only provides presentations by nationally recognized experts, but also gives our university consortium members the opportunity to partake in valuable discussions with council representatives and ORAU staff in conjunction with the meeting's yearly theme.

ORAU’s 74th Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions will be held March 4-6, 2019 and is focused on “Ensuring a Robust U.S. Energy Future.” The meeting will provide an opportunity for attendees to discuss key technology, economic and policy challenges and opportunities. Experts and leaders from academia, federal agencies, and national organizations will share their views on transformative science and policies that enable efficient, affordable, and environmentally sound use of fossil fuels.

The meeting will begin on Tuesday, March 5, at 8:30 a.m. and conclude on Wednesday, March 6, at 12 p.m. On Monday, March 4, at 4:30 p.m., a special session on the value of membership will be held for our university attendees.

Registration for the 74th Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions is now open. This is an invitation-only meeting and is not open to the press.

Meeting information

  • ORAU’s 74th Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions will be held March 4-6, 2019 at the Pollard Technology Conference Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

    To attend, please register at the Annual Meeting registration site.

    Councilors: If you cannot attend and wish to designate a proxy (someone who is attending in your place and will be voting on your behalf if necessary), please complete the Annual Meeting proxy registration. Once you have completed the proxy registration, your designated proxy will need to complete the process by registering at the Annual Meeting registration site.

    Due to security requirements, registration for non-U.S. Citizens closes on February 4, 2019 and registration for U.S. Citizens closes on February 13, 2019.

    Due to space limitations, students are not permitted to attend the Annual Meeting.

  • A full agenda with speakers and presentations will be available closer to the meeting date. Keynote addresses and panel sessions are listed below:

    Monday, March 4, 2019 – Doubletree Hotel

    4:00 – 7:00 p.m.       Registration – Hotel Lobby

    4:30 – 5:30 p.m.       Leveraging ORAU Membership Session – Salon C

    Tuesday, March 5, 2019 – Pollard Technology Conference Center

    7:30 – 8:30 a.m.       Registration and Continental Breakfast – Pollard Lobby

                                     Networking Opportunity

    8:30 – 8:40 a.m.       Opening Remarks

    • Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU
    • Arlene Garrison, Vice President, University Partnerships

    8:40 – 8:45 a.m.       Introduction of Keynote Speaker

    • Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU

    8:45 – 9:30 a.m.       Keynote Address

    • Dan Reicher, Executive Director, Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, Stanford University (former DOE Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)

    9:30 – 9:45 a.m.       Keynote Q&A

    9:45 – 10:05 a.m.     Break

    10:05 – 11:35 a.m.   Panel Session 1: CO2 Capture

    Purpose: R&D activities to reduce the cost of carbon capture, storage and utilization
    Moderator: Wanda Gamble, Vice President, Business Development, ORAU

    Panel Speakers

    • Lynn Brickett, Carbon Capture Technology Manager, National Energy Technology Laboratory
    • Klaus Lackner, Director, Center for Negative Carbon Emissions, Arizona State University
    • Brian McPherson, University of Utah, and Member, Southwest Regional Partnership on Carbon Sequestration

    11:35 – 12:00 p.m.  Panel Q & A

    12:00 – 1:15 p.m.    Lunch – Pollard Lobby

    Networking Opportunity

    1:15 – 2:45 p.m.       Panel Session 2: Environmental Impacts

    Purpose: Critical issues in meeting the energy and environmental challenges
    Moderator: Donna Cragle, Senior Vice President and Director; Health, Environment & Radiation Management, ORAU

    Panel Speakers

    • James Fabisiak, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
    • John B. Miller, Chief, Carbon Cycle Greenhouse Gases Group, Earth System Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    • George Hornberger, Distinguished Professor and Director, Institute for Energy and Environment, Vanderbilt University

    2:45 – 3:05 p.m.       Panel Q & A

    3:05 – 3:25 p.m.       Break

    3:25 – 4:45 p.m.       Business Meeting – Pollard Auditorium (all attendees invited)

    5:30 – 6:15 p.m.       Reception – Doubletree Hotel, Oak Ridge Ballroom

                                     Networking Opportunity

    6:15 – 7:00 p.m.       Dinner – Oak Ridge Ballroom  

    Wednesday, March 6, 2019 – Pollard Technology Conference Center

    7:30 – 8:30 a.m.       Continental Breakfast

                                     Networking Opportunity

    8:30 – 8:35 a.m.       Opening Remarks

    • Arlene Garrison, Ph.D., Vice President, University Partnerships

    8:35 – 8:50 a.m.       Comments by Member Institution Representatives 

    8:50 – 8:55 a.m.       Introduction of Keynote Speaker

    • Eric Abelquist, Executive Vice President & Chief Research Officer

    8:55 – 9:40 a.m.       Keynote Address

    • Steven Winberg, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, DOE

    9:40 – 9:55 a.m.       Keynote Q & A

    9:55 – 10:15 a.m.     Break

    10:15 – 11:45 a.m.   Panel Session 3: Future of Fossil Fuels

    Purpose: Advanced technologies and policy issues
    Moderator: Eric Abelquist, Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer, ORAU

    Panel Speakers

    • Angelos Kokkinos, Director, Office of Advanced Fossil Technology Systems, U.S. Department of Energy
    • Inês Azevedo, Professor, Engineering and Public Policy; and Co-Director, Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making, Carnegie Mellon University
    • Brandi Schottel, Associate Program Director, Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Cluster, National Science Foundation

    11:45 – 11:55 p.m.  Panel Q & A

    11:55 – 12:00 p.m.  Wrap-up

    • Andy Page, President and CEO, ORAU

    12:00 p.m.               Adjourn

    12:00 p.m.               Box lunches available – Pollard Lobby

    12:30 p.m.               Bus departs from Pollard Auditorium for Knoxville’s McGhee-Tyson Airport

  • The 74th Annual Meeting of the ORAU Council of Sponsoring Institutions will be held at Pollard Technology Conference Center.

    Pollard Technology Conference Center
    210 Badger Ave.
    Oak Ridge, TN 37830
    865.765.5273

    Google Maps turn-by-turn directions are available on the conference center site, including area attractions, transportation options (air and ground), and other area hotels.

  • Lodging: A block of rooms has been reserved at The Doubletree Hotel for our annual meeting attendees. The Doubletree Hotel is conveniently located via a 5-10 minute walk to the conference center. If you prefer, there are other hotels within walking distance to the Doubletree, but you must cross a multi-lane highway. Crosswalks are nearby at all traffic lights. 

    An optional hotel that opened in September 2018:

    Marriott TownePlace Suites
    300 South Rutgers Ave.
    Oak Ridge, TN 37830
    865.409.5059

    If you have difficulty obtaining a room, contact Richard Valentine at 865.576.1898 or Richard.Valentine@orau.org.

    Transportation from meeting to airport (TYS):
    At the close of the meeting on March 6, bus transportation from the conference center to the Knoxville airport will be available.
  • Badges: You MUST register to receive your required attendee badge. If you do not have your badge, you will not be able to attend the meeting.

    Attire: Dress should be in standard business attire.

  • Located in the valley between the Cumberland and Great Smoky Mountains, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was secretly developed during the Manhattan Project whose purpose was to create an atomic bomb to end World War II. Today, Oak Ridge is a progressive, diverse city which is home to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a multi-program science and technology laboratory managed for the U.S. Department of Energy by UT-Battelle, LLC; and the Y-12 National Security Complex, a premier manufacturing facility for the U.S. Department of Energy's nuclear security enterprise.

    Oak Ridge and the surrounding area offer a variety of cultural and recreational activities for every age and topic of interest. For more specific information about these opportunities, visit one of the links below.

Past meeting archive

Follow the event and add to the conversation!

Our ORAU Social Media Team will be actively covering the event on Twitter and Facebook, but we want to hear from attendees too! Post comments or questions to ignite the conversation by using #ORAUCouncil on Twitter and liking the ORAU page on Facebook.

  • meeting1.jpg

    2018 ORAU Annual Meeting recap

    ORAU's 73rd Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions was focused on Public Health Security and Biological Threats.

  • meeting2.jpg

    2018 ORAU Annual Meeting recap

    The meeting addressed issues related to preparedness for bioterrorism and other major public health threats.

  • meeting3.jpg

    2018 ORAU Annual Meeting recap

    Participants had the opportunity to discuss key science and technology challenges and opportunities. 

  • meeting4.jpg

    2018 ORAU Annual Meeting recap

    Experts and leaders from academia and federal agencies shared their views on the effective strategies for continued progress in areas of national importance for global health security.

Contact us

To learn more about the ORAU Annual Meeting, contact the University Partnerships office:

Richard ValentineP.O. Box 117, MS 29
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117
Phone: 865.576.1898