Thanks to all who participated in the inaugural Hertz Topical Forum focused on the future of energy — supported by the generosity of Eric and Wendy Schmidt — that occured July 31–August 1, 2024, at the beautiful Mont-Tremblant Resort in Quebec, Canada.

The topical forum focused on the future of energy, with AI, national security and climate change as subtopics. The event was open to all Fellows, plus special invited guests, to bring together students with early, mid-, and senior career Hertz Fellows in collaboration with other leaders in government, industry and academia to explore and scale solutions to our most pressing energy challenges.

If you'd like to join in the follow up activities, please see below or reach out to Anne at anne@hertzfoundation.org.

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During the event, the organizers collected ideas via an idea submission form, which is still open for your use. We'll be following up with people who submitted ideas (and their listed co-conspirators) to make connections and suggest further action.

Collaborating fellows can apply to our Hertz Community mini grants program which provides up to $5,000 in support funds to groups of 2 or more (including at least one Fellow) who are working together to tackle an energy problem. Stay tuned for more information on the application for funds.

The new Hertz Interest Group on the topic of energy will continue topical conversations. These groups were originally created in 2023 to allow fellows to connect with like-minded individuals. (See more on our Community page). While these are community-run, the foundation provides logistical support to streamline the convening and outcomes of these groups. If you’re interested in joining or leading the energy interest group please fill out the form here.

Attendees are encouraged to take advantage of opportunities to get together with collaborators and write up your ideas to share more widely and increase impact and implementation. Many of the challenges we heard about at the topical forum will require national action, perhaps necessitating a policy brief, and many ideas will require creation of technology that could be supported by DOE funds. Aligned with those two avenues, there are opportunities that our partners have made available to submit your ideas:

Registration is now closed.

We are so thankful for the hard work and generosity of our topical forum volunteers. We are proud and honored to work with you to make this year's workshop a reality.

Contact Anne K. Ward with any questions about the topical forum.