Schedule

10:00-10:15 Cookies, coffee, welcome and land acknowledgement 

10:15-10:50 Mohsen Safaei (Government of Alberta) 

Title: GHG Emissions and Climate Change 101

Abstract: Providing a high-level overview of greenhouse gas emissions, their global impacts, and the mechanisms used to measure and mitigate them. We will explore the GHG Protocol scopes, carbon pricing systems, and Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) Regulation, including its offset system and compliance pathways. 

10:55-11:30 Brendan Pan (AltaLink) 

Title: AltaLink’s Wildfire Program: PSPS and Data-Driven Decision Making

Abstract:

Wildfires pose a growing threat to electrical infrastructure and public safety, especially as climate change intensifies fire behavior. This talk explores how AltaLink integrates data-driven tools and modeling to enhance situational awareness and operational decision-making during wildfire events.

We will provide a brief overview of Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) as a critical risk mitigation strategy, followed by a deep dive into the technologies that support it—such as wildfire fuel connectivity analysis, dynamic fire behavior modeling, and real-time dashboards combining weather, camera, and hazard data. A recent wildfire case study will illustrate how these tools inform proactive measures to protect communities and maintain grid reliability.

By connecting engineering practices with predictive modeling and data analytics, this presentation highlights how quantitative approaches can strengthen climate resilience in the energy sector.

11:35-12:10 Jagoda Walny-Nix (Canada energy regulator) 

Title: Unlocking Environmental Data with Data Science and Design

Abstract: Access to environmental data is essential for advancing climate and biodiversity research. One potential source of useful data lies in environmental and socio-economic assessments (ESAs) for proposed pipeline infrastructure corridors. Collectively, these assessments cover thousands of kilometers of diverse Canadian landscapes. The Canada Energy Regulator has over 1900 ESAs in its public repository, but until recently, their valuable data was buried inside PDFs, accessible only to those who knew exactly where — and how — to look. This talk explores how our team changed this by combining data science techniques with human-centered design to create BERDI — a powerful search tool that unlocks ESA data and makes it easier to find, navigate, and use.

12:10-12:55 Lunch 

12:55-13:30 Judith Ann Koeller (University of Waterloo)  

Title: Four Ways that Math Interacts with the Problems of Climate Change

Abstract: How might mathematicians direct their work towards initiatives that bring hope or that need scrutiny? This non-technical talk explores connections between some traditionally pure areas of math and their applications around climate change. We examine examples of how math helps us understand climate change, how math can slow it down or speed it up, and how math can mitigate some of its impacts. 

13:35-14:10 Ishmam Chowdhury (University of Calgary)

Title: Engaging the World: Where You’ll Fit

Abstract: This talk will share my journey working on real sustainability projects with the United Nations on energy transition and what it actually takes to build solutions that matter (and why), especially in moments of uncertainty. I’ll walk through the lessons I learned during the pandemic and the global energy crisis, and highlight how people from different backgrounds, especially computer science, can play a meaningful role in the energy transition. We’ll look at the skills that often get overlooked, how to connect the dots early, and how to gain the right exposure. We’ll discover the countless opportunities that exist out there for CS Students and the roles you can play in the change ahead. 

14:15-14:50 Mostafa Farrokhabadi (University of Calgary)

Title: Diminishing Returns of Complexity in Grid Edge Control

Abstract: This talk challenges the assumption that complexity improves control performance in all conditions. Using online convex learning, the talk formalizes the performance of an intuitive rule-based control policy for residential PV-battery scheduling. Built on this insight, it proposes a low-complexity data-driven optimal dispatch method; through performance comparisons, the talk argues that for grid-edge applications, the marginal utility of algorithmic complexity may be negative when accounting for implementation realities, productization costs, and edge device constraints. 

14:55-15:30 Elena Ezquerra (WSP consulting Canada)

Title: TBA

Abstract: TBA

15:35-16:10 Yize Chen (University of Alberta)

Title: Modeling and Reducing Grid Emissions via Carbon Flow Tracing

Abstract: Power systems decarbonization are at the focal point of the clean energy transition. While system operators and utility companies increasingly publicize system-level carbon emission information, it remains unclear how emissions from individual generators are transported through the grid and how they impact electricity users at specific locations. This talk presents a novel and computationally efficient approach for exact quantification and reduction of nodal carbon emission rates. The approach leverages graph-based topological sorting and directed cycle removal techniques, applied to directed graphs formed by generation dispatch and optimal power flow solutions. Our proposed algorithm efficiently identifies each generator's contribution to each node, capturing how emissions are spatially distributed under varying system conditions. To validate its effectiveness and reveal locational and temporal emission patterns in the real world, we simulate the 8,870-bus realistic California grid. Based on year-long hourly data on nodal loads and renewable generation, obtained or estimated from CAISO public data, our method accurately estimates power flow conditions, generation mixes, and further reduces both systemwide and locational emissions.