Texas A&M Energy Institute Conference partners with Growing Texas to focus on water issues

COLLEGE STATION – The 2012 Annual Energy Institute Conference and Growing Texas Conference, October 3 — 4, in College Station will feature experts from academic programs and state agencies in The Texas A&M System who explore the challenges facing the state’s water resources. This conference will highlight many of the cutting-edge research programs at Texas A&M University working on emerging energy and water technologies.

Student research will also be showcased during the reception where students will exhibit posters and answer questions about their current energy and water projects. With participants from state agencies, multiple departments and other Texas A&M University System components, this conference will be of interest to faculty, students, community leaders, economic development professionals, and industry stakeholders throughout Texas.

Texans are concerned about the future of their water resources — be it for personal, industrial, municipal, agricultural, or energy production purposes. Water use and energy efficiency are critically intertwined with each of these facets. Recent drought conditions in Texas have focused public scrutiny on the increasing demands placed on our state’s water supplies and on technologies to obtain fresh water, such as desalination and recycling wastewater. Texas A&M University researchers, state agency partners and other industry collaborators are coordinating efforts to study water use and reuse in several energy arenas across the state.

This year’s Platinum Sponsor is ConocoPhillips. Texas A&M University San Antonio is a Gold Sponsor and Choice Facility Partners is a Bronze Sponsor. Other partners for the conference include: U. S. Economic Development Administration, George Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M College of Science, Texas A&M Agrilife Research, Texas A&M Energy Club, Texas Center for Applied Technology, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, Texas Water Resources Institute and the Water Conservation and Technology Center.

About the Texas A&M Energy Institute
The Texas A&M Energy Institute (EI) was established to engage in basic, applied, and applications research and technology development, demonstration and deployment across the entire spectrum of energy-specific resource domains that will be required to guarantee that our nation’s energy future is secure. EI will conduct research both within specific energy resource domains and at the connected boundaries of multiple energy resource domains to exploit the enormous benefits inherent in an integrated approach to the production and utilization of our country’s vast energy resources. To learn more about the Texas A&M Energy Institute, visit http://energy.tamu.edu.

About Growing Texas
The Growing Texas initiative was born out of a conference series funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. Through a grant from EDA, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) was able to host several conferences across the state in 2011 and 2012 emphasizing sustainability and economic growth in rural communities. Growing Texas focuses on the water-energy nexus and how it impacts the economy in Texas. Our partners leverage resources from across the Texas A&M System — involving professors, researchers and economic developers — to bring attention to the challenges and opportunities we face regarding the water-energy nexus and natural resources in Texas.