Emma attended the University of Colorado, Boulder’s 75th Conference on World Affairs, dedicated to Climate Change, April 12-14, 2023.

Emma’s panel discussion, titled “The Energy Technology That Will Power the World” got a lot of comments from other attendees about how much they enjoyed the conversation and it “was one of the best-received panels of the conference.”

Presenter Bios

Kyri Baker

Kyri Baker received her BS, MS and PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2009, 2010 and 2014, respectively. From 2015 to 2017, she worked at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Since fall 2017, she has been an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and is a fellow of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI). She received the NSF CAREER award in 2021 and led a top performing team in the ARPA-E Grid Optimization competition. She develops computationally efficient optimization and learning algorithms for energy systems ranging from building-level assets to transmission grids.

Peter Green

Peter Green is the deputy laboratory director for science and technology and the chief research officer for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). He began his professional career at Sandia National Laboratories, where he spent just over a decade, before spending 20 years in academia. He was professor of chemical engineering and the BF Goodrich Professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He later became professor and chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at the University of Michigan. Green was the Vincent T. and Gloria M. Gorguze Endowed Professor of Engineering, as well as professor of chemical engineering, macromolecular science and engineering, and of applied physics. He is a former president of the Materials Research Society. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Association of Arts and Science, the American Ceramics Society. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, Class of 2023. He earned BA and MA degrees in physics from Hunter College in 1981, and MS and PhD degrees in materials science and engineering from Cornell University.

Emma Redfoot

Emma is a nuclear engineer and project manager specializing in site identification and environmental compliance for advanced nuclear fission power plants and recycling of spent nuclear fuel.  Emma has worked for Oklo Inc. for over four years as an engineer and project manager focused on licensing.  Her current title with Oklo is Siting Lead, where she supports ongoing projects for commercial fission plant deployment and recycling of spent nuclear fuel. Emma has been involved with Mothers for Nuclear since 2016, supporting the organization in its first efforts to bring attention to the importance of nuclear power as a clean source of reliable power important to empowering people and protecting the planet.  Emma is inspired to work on and advocate for nuclear technology through her experiences living in South America where she worked on an organic permaculture farm in Ecuador for six months and then researched volunteer tourism in Peru for six months. Her experiences in South America taught Emma that energy is the soil from which everything from clean water to literacy to women’s rights can grow. Emma has earned a bachelor of arts in environmental studies from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR and a masters of science in nuclear engineering from the University of Idaho. She currently lives in a small town in rural Montana with her fiance and dog.

Peter Kelly-Detwiler

Peter Kelly-Detwiler has 30 years of experience in the electric energy industry, with much of his career in competitive power markets. He is a leading consultant in the electric industry, providing strategic advice to clients and investors, helping them to navigate the rapid evolution of the electric power grid. Kelly-Detwiler offers numerous keynotes and workshops on a wide range of topics. He has also written widely on energy issues for Forbes.com and GE, with over 300 articles to his credit. His book on the transformation of electric power markets, The Energy Switch, was published by Prometheus Books in June 2021.

Moderator: Sam Weaver