Battelle, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy national labs, set to convene international experts from government, private industry and academia focusing on climate resilience.

World-class minds and international experts from government, industry and academia will convene to share breakthroughs and solution-focused action plans to mitigate the effects of climate change at the second Innovations in Climate Resilience Conference (ICR23) March 28-30 in Columbus, Ohio.

Unlike other climate events, this collaboration between Battelle and the U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, two sources of the nation’s most influential scientific and innovative breakthroughs, will offer a distinctive, curated technical program on climate resilience. Through keynote addresses, technical sessions, program spotlights, poster presentations and networking opportunities, ICR23 will dive deep into scientific breakthroughs in technology, policy, and infrastructure mitigating the existential threats climate change poses to our environment, health, communities, national security, and economic well-being.

“ICR23’s theme is ‘Bold Leaps and Action,’ which is exactly what we need to do to lessen our impact on the environment,” said Battelle Technical Fellow and conference co-chair, Justin Sanchez. “By taking purposeful, forward-looking steps toward actionable goals, we can move the needle toward results that combat the negative circumstances that our climate reality is generating.”

Headlining an impressive group of keynote speakers is Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Director of the Office of Science for the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Berhe’s research focuses on the effect of changing environmental conditions—specifically fire, erosion, and climate change—on important soil processes. Her work highlights why soil health will be the difference between life and lifelessness on Earth and the key in combatting climate change.

Another notable keynote will be delivered by Dr. Tammy Ma, a celebrated plasma physicist who focuses on “science with purpose” at Lawrence Livermore’s National Ignition Facility (NIF). Dr. Ma and her team focus on experiments to achieve fusion ignition and recently realized a scientific breakthrough in that area. The work has potential to produce abundant clean energy for the future and to better understand the physics of a process that powers all the stars in the universe.

Bringing a private industry perspective, Microsoft’s Ranveer Chandra, Managing Director for Research for Industry, CTO of Agri-Food, and Head of Networking Research will deliver a keynote address. Among a long list of technical product accomplishments, Chandra started Project FarmBeats to enable data-driven farming as a solution to address the needed gains in future food production. Bill Gates featured Chandra’s FarmBeats work on GatesNotes and was invited to present to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

Princeton University professor Elie Bou-Zeid will bring an academic perspective in his keynote address. Bou-Zeid is the former and founding chair of the Princeton Metropolis Project, which aims to guide technological innovations toward a pathway that improves urban living. Bou-Zeid is a professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of Princeton’s Program in Environmental Engineering and Water Resources.

“Our world is filled with complex challenges. Which is why, at Battelle, we spend a lot of time anticipating the challenges of the future, while actively solving today’s problems,” said Battelle President and CEO Lou Von Thaer. “Our goal for this conference is to discuss and explore technology breakthroughs that will directly address the threats from a changing climate to our environment, health, communities, national security and economic well-being.”

The in-person conference is expected to attract an audience of 300 government leaders, entrepreneurs, and technology innovators whose expertise lies in restoring our ecosystems, enabling adaptation of our built infrastructure and societies, improving human health, boosting national security, securing the food supply, and dramatically reducing the trajectory of causative factors.

Additional confirmed keynote speakers include:

• Linnea Avallone, Chief Officer for Research Facilities, National Science Foundation
• John Balbus, Director of Office of Climate Change and Health Equity, OASH
• Erin Sikorsky, Director of the Center for Climate and Security (CCS) and the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS)
• Jamie Beck Alexander, Founding Director of Drawdown Labs, Project Drawdown
• Karen Boyd, Senior Manager Carbon Services, Truterra
• Dr. Sweta Chakraborty, Risk and Behavioral Scientist and Founder, We Don’t Have Time

To register for the event, please visit our website: https://www.battelle.org/conferences/conference-on-innovations-in-climate-resilience/technical-program-registration

For more information about this year’s event, visit the ICR23 website or send inquiries to climateconf@battelle.org.

On-demand keynote speakers and panel videos from the 2022 Innovations in Climate Resilience can be found here.

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.

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