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This was a busy semester! The team's senior researchers (including me) taught more than 300 students from freshman through Ph.D. level for courses such as Thermodynamics; Introduction to Energy & Society; Energy, Economics & Policy; Energy at the Movies; and Applications in Engineering Data Analysis, Optimization and Visualization (colloquially known as "Too Big to Excel," which teaches students how to manage data sets too large for Microsoft Excel). These students come from engineering, liberal arts, economics, public affairs and more.
Our course contributions will continue in the Spring 2026 semester with Energy Technology & Policy (ETP) and Energy Ventures Practicum (EVP). The former is a multidisciplinary course for 80+ students pursuing graduate degrees in business, policy, engineering and geosciences along with upper-division undergraduate engineering students. ETP has been taught by the group since 2007. The latter is a graduate course for 36 students in law, policy, business, engineering and geosciences in which six teams are formed to launch energy start-ups.
These teaching roles are an important part of our mission at UT, and they supplement our various research initiatives. We organize our research into four topical areas: the grid, molecules, the built environment, and the food-energy-water-waste nexus. They keep us busy as we struggle to address some of the latest questions from industry and members of congress or other policymakers about the impact of AI data centers on resources, the need for permitting reform and more.
And that's the life cycle of our approach: we use our classes to teach students and identify promising researchers; conduct research on timely topics with rigorous methods that stand the test of time; communicate our findings to the broader public of executives, policymakers, and on-the-ground stakeholders; use what we have learned to improve our courses, then repeat the cycle again.
Thank you for your role in this as a supporter, collaborator or consumer of our work. We couldn't do it without you. Have a great set of holidays, and we will be in touch again soon.
Sincerely,
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- Michael Webber explored 'The AI Effect on the Power Grid' in Compass Datacenter's latest episode of Horizons.
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Josh Rhodes joined Marketplace to discuss increasing power demands on new data centers.
- WEG took a tour of the Base Power Company in Austin, TX in the photo above (and many thanks to Base Power co-founder Justin Lopas for hosting us!).
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Rhodes was featured in an article on CNBC weighing in on the potential AI bubble bringing data centers to Texas.
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Yael Glazer, Emily Beagle, and Alonso Fernandez of presented their research at Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo, exploring how EV charging strategies can help align energy demand with renewable supply.
- Webber wrote and op-ed for the Houston Chronicle, 'Why is the GOP adopting Democrats' worst energy ideas?'
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How Energy and Chemistry Converge for a Fossil-Free Future in iScience by Jan Mertens, Christian Breyer, Ronnie Belmans, Corinne Gendron, Patrice Geoffron, Carolyn Fischer, Elodie Du Fornel, Olivier Ledent, Richard Lester, Kimberly A. Nicholas, Laura Megrelis, Paulo Emilio Valadão de Miranda, Celine Paton, Alice Prudhomme, Peter Verwee, Olivier Sala, Michael Webber, and Koenraad Debackere
| | | | A collection of online interactive reference materials content geared towards universities and professionals. Learn More | | | | | A state-sponsored STEM program to help boost energy literacy for K-12 students and help schools save money by saving energy. Learn More | | | | | Resourcefulness Digital Badge | |
In partnership with Itron, Inc. this online course covers the water-energy nexus and how they affect one another.
Learn More
| | | Support The Webber Energy Group | | Thank you for your interest in supporting the Webber Energy Group in its mission to change the way the world thinks about energy. There are two ways to give: | | |
- Discretionary gifts, the full amount of which are available to the Webber Energy Group immediately for cutting edge research, communications, and leadership development.
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- Gifts to the Osborne Green Energy Endowed Excellence Fund, which will support leadership training and professional development for Webber Energy Group students in perpetuity with 4.5% of the fund’s total value available to the Webber Energy Group each year.
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