Environmental Studies Student Opportunity Forum

Critical Minerals and Energy

TOMORROW, Tuesday, April 28, 4:30 p.m.
WEI 1115 and Online via Zoom Webinar

Don't miss this panel discussion! Tomorrow, researchers will examine what makes a material “critical,” what their current lifecycle impacts are, and what can be done through innovative technologies, policies, and circular frameworks to source them in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

Attend in-person or virtually to gain insights into the role critical minerals play in building a more resilient and sustainable energy system. Registration is required for this event.

Panelists:
Mike Wagner, Charles Ringrose Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UW–Madison
Song Jin, Professor of Chemistry, UW–Madison
Julie Michelle Klinger, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, UW–Madison
Luca Mastropasqua, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, UW–Madison
Bu Wang, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UW–Madison

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Critical Minerals and Energy - Forward in Energy Forum. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. While the transition to clean energy is often framed as harnessing forces like sunlight and wind, the physical reality of it is deeply rooted in the earth’s crust. From battery electrodes to generator magnets to copper wires, critical minerals are essential for a range of energy technologies and t...

Join the Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment for our upcoming Weston Roundtable:

Climate Science Meets Financial Analysis: Where Do We Stand?

Speaker: Madison Condon, associate professor, Boston University School of Law

Thursday, April 30 | 4:15–5:15 p.m. | VIRTUAL

Register for Zoom link

From central banks to ratings agencies, to hedge funds, actors in the financial system are increasingly seeking out climate-related risk information to inform their investing, oversight, and advice. Some players seek out information on specific asset-level risks: What are the chances that this house will flood over the next 30 years? Other actors are looking for more macro-level estimates: What will the effect of climate change be on labor productivity, or GDP, in the year 2060?

This talk will survey some of the current practices and challenges in translating climate science to financial estimates. It will highlight some of the best practices and developing methodologies for giving financial actors the best information to support decision-making, with an emphasis on tools like scenario analysis, storylines, and fit-for-purpose models.

Cookies, coffee, and tea will be served.

Climate Science Meets Financial Analysis: Where Do We Stand? April 30, 2026 @ 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm - Speaker: Madison Condon, associate professor, Boston University School of Law

UW Family Gardening Day at the Wisconsin Energy Institute
May 2, 2026

UW Family Gardening Day at the Wisconsin Energy Institute Free, Annual Event! April showers bring May flowers—and this opportunity to explore campus gardens, greenhouses, and research facilities. Visit the DC Smith Greenhouse, Allen Centennial Garden, Steenbock Library, and the Wisconsin Energy Institute. Explore hands-on activities with seeds, plants a...

"Flash Talks on Iran, Oil, and OPEC”

Thursday, April 16, at 4:30-6:00 pm
346 Birge Hall (on Bascom Hill).

This event will feature Steven Brooke (Political Science); Menzie Chinn (La Follette School of Public Affairs), Corbett Grainger (Applied & Agricultural Economics), and Greg Nemet (La Follette School of Public Affairs) providing quick overviews of how the US's current conflict with Iran affects energy supplies, relations in the Middle East, and economic stability. Light food/beverages will be provided.

TOMORROW!

Thursday, 4/16, 4:15-5:15

Quantifying and Managing Climate Risks and Inequitable Outcomes April 16, 2026 @ 4:15 pm – 5:15 pm - Speaker: Adam Pollack, assistant professor; School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability; University of Iowa

https://che.nelson.wisc.edu/events/powering-progress-or-peril-the-hidden-environmental-costs-of-ai-data-centers/

Powering Progress or Peril? The Hidden Environmental Costs of AI Data Centers March 18, 2026 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm - Speaker: Melissa Scanlan, Professor, School of Freshwater Sciences, UW–Milwaukee.