The 2025 Southeastern Energy Conference, Georgia Tech’s annual student-led energy and sustainability conference, took place from Feb. 28 to March 1, 2025. Organized by the Energy Club at Georgia Tech, the conference welcomed over 100 attendees, including industry leaders, policymakers, researchers, and students, fostering dynamic discussions on the future of energy. The theme for this year’s conference, "Going Global: Energy’s Place on the World Stage," highlighted the international nature of energy challenges and solutions, emphasizing collaboration across borders.
The event kicked off with a keynote address from Hon. John Tien, who provided thought-provoking insights into the evolving energy landscape. Following the keynote, the first panel of the day, "The Ukraine Energy War: Lessons in Energy Security," featured expert analysis from Anna Mikulsa of the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute and Gabriel Collins of Rice University’s Baker Institute. The session was moderated by Georgia Tech student Grant Espy. This was followed by a discussion on the role of nuclear energy globally, where Seth Grae, president and CEO of Lightbridge Corporation, and CJ Fong, vice president of Regulatory Affairs at Blue Energy, shared their perspectives, moderated by Anna Schafer, a student at Georgia Tech.
Throughout the day, attendees had the opportunity to engage with representatives from 10 local and regional energy companies through the Industry Showcase. Companies such as GE Vernova, Georgia Power, Kimley-Horn, and the Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub were present, providing valuable networking and career development opportunities for students and professionals alike. The day concluded with an engaging panel on "The Potential of Clean Hydrogen," featuring insights from industry leaders including Comas Haynes of Georgia Tech's Strategic Energy Institute, Hayley Ryan of ExxonMobil, Luis Alcoser of Chevron Technology Ventures, and Scott McWhorter of the Southeast Hydrogen Energy Alliance, moderated by Eli Acree, a student at Georgia Tech.
The second day of the conference opened with a keynote speech from Tim Lieuwen, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech, who laid out what a carbon-neutral future could truly look like in energy. The "Cybersecurity for Energy Systems" panel brought together Seymour E. Goodman of Georgia Tech, Jake Braun of the University of Chicago, Juan Villarreal of Villarreal Energy, and Forrest Shriver of Sentinel Devices to discuss the challenges and solutions in securing energy infrastructure. Following that, the "Applications of Solar Microgrids" panel moderated by John Blankenhorn, a Ph.D. candidate at Georgia Tech, featured expert perspectives from Letian Dou of Purdue University, Ben Ollis of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Raymond Hill of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
One of the standout moments of the conference was the Student Symposium, where seven student researchers had the opportunity to present their work, competing for $500 in prize money. Projects explored topics ranging from photocatalysts to heat-driven desalination to thermal batteries for buildings.
The final panel of the event, "Scaled Sustainable Development," moderated by Conference Chair Sam Woolsey, a student at Georgia Tech, featured Jonathan Elkind of Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, Miguel Granier of the Cox Cleantech Accelerator, and Hon. Jobeth Lillian Coleby-Davis, Minister of Energy & Transport for the Government of the Bahamas.
Faculty Advisor Dan Molzahn also praised the conference, stating, "I've been incredibly impressed by the student organizers in pulling together such a remarkable and well-executed event. Given all the change occurring in the world today around energy, the students' foresight to focus on this topic by bringing in a broad range of experts was a huge benefit to the Georgia Tech community."
Reflecting on the success of the event, Sam Woolsey shared, "I was honored to serve as Energy Club's 2025 Conference Chair and to see the conference so positively received. It was a pleasure to see the ways this year's conference encouraged Georgia Tech engineers to get out of their comfort zone and discuss the policy and international affairs of energy."
The 11th annual Southeastern Energy Conference set a high standard for future student-led initiatives in energy and sustainability at Georgia Tech, fostering meaningful discussions and connections that will continue shaping the field. With a diverse lineup of experts, engaging panels, and invaluable networking opportunities, this event demonstrated Georgia Tech’s leadership in fostering innovative discussions on global energy challenges. The Energy Club extends its heartfelt thanks to all speakers, panelists, industry representatives, and attendees for making this conference a success. Stay tuned for future events and continued conversations on the evolving energy landscape!
Written by: Energy Conference Committee Members: Braden Queen, Eli Acree, Sam Woolsey, Anna Schafer, Grant Espy, John Blankenhorn
