In the Fall 2023 semester, EEMI Director of Professional Education Dr. Ed Saltzberg
conducted two major webinars on top-level environmental and energy uses.
On September 25, 2023, a webinar entitled “U.S. Hydrogen Policy - Imperative for Global Security and Sustainability,” featured EEMI Distinguished Visiting Scholar Ambassador Andras Simonyi and Landon Derentz, Senior Director and Morningstar Chair for Global Energy Security at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. They explored the intricate connections between sustainable energy, industrial innovation, safeguarding the nation's future, and maintaining a competitive edge on the global stage.
As the world races towards cleaner energy solutions, hydrogen emerges as a linchpin in the transition, particularly for industries where electrification faces limitations, such as aviation, shipping, and high-heat production like cement and steel production. Beyond its energy potential, hydrogen's strategic importance for national security cannot be underestimated, especially in the context of global competition with China. With China's dominance in the photovoltaic sector as a stark reminder, we'll discuss how imperative it is for the US to lead in the development of a robust hydrogen economy, ensuring energy independence and technological prowess. Join us to explore the intricate connections between sustainable energy, industrial innovation, safeguarding the nation's future, and maintaining a competitive edge on the global stage.
A recording of the webinar can be seen at
On July 27, 2023, a webinar entitled “Bridging the Last Internet Mile in Rural Communities - A Whole Community Approach” featured four top experts who explained that construction of long cable lines to the sparse fringes of rural communities is still too expensive, despite the federal contribution. The four experts took on this issue and proposed a new systemwide approach that includes energy, telehealth, mobility, water, and other public services to frame the rural internet issue. Experts on the panel were as follows:
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Traci Morris, Executive Director, American Indian Policy Institute, Arizona State University, who focuses on building strong ties to Indigenous urban and rural governments and communities through emerging trends and tribally driven innovative democratic practices
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Ryan Palmer, Global Digital Equity Strategist Microsoft Airband Initiative, who convenes a global network of internet and energy providers, government agencies, nonprofits, and private sector companies focused on closing the global digital divide.
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Mike Lubin, Vice-President Corporate Development, Viasat. For more than 30 years, Viasat innovations have helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments, and militaries around the world communicate — even in the hardest-to-reach places.
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Tom Feree, Chairman and CEO, Connected Nation. Connected Nation improves lives by providing innovative solutions that expand the access, adoption, and use of broadband and its related technologies to all people.