UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Pro Walk/Pro Bike® 2012
2012-09-10 15:00 - 2012-09-13 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Madeline Brozen, Program Manager, of the UCLA Complete Streets Initiative will present at two workshops:Parklets
Mobile Workshop
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
10:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Power of the Performance Metric Session
Thursday, September 13, 10:15 – 11:45 a.m.
More information may be found here: http://www.pps.org/pwpb2012/program/
Pro Walk/Pro Bike 2012: Pro Place will feature over 100 presentations on six major conference themes and Placemaking. Click to download the full program, or follow the links above if you are interested in a particular day.
Invest + Govern. Bicycling and walking investments are ready to compete in the new cost-conscious reality and political climate in which we live. We encourage presentations that: quantify the benefits and cost savings to the individual and community; present the business case for supporting bicycling and walking; detail financing models for making investments; and other topics.
Advocate + Include. When our transportation system is balanced, everyone can prosper; when transportation decision-making is inclusive, it builds community. We encourage presentations about: environmental justice achieved; outsiders’ perspective on our work; programs that engage low income and underserved communities; and other topics.
Design + Engineer. New approaches to planning, designing, and building infrastructure are luring new people into cycling, and improving safety for all road users. We encourage presentations that: continue the professional development of planners and engineers; discuss the latest transportation engineering publications/manuals; and present best practices for finding flexibility within existing design standards.
Healthy + Safe. Our neighborhoods can enhance our health and quality-of-life by facilitating social connections and by making walking and biking trips easy and convenient. We encourage presentations from public health professionals and others who have developed successful and low cost models/programs for physical activity/built environment focused interventions. Also included in this category: innovative injury prevention programs, food access programs, programs that address childhood obesity, and programs that prioritize populations experiencing health disparities.
Plan + Connect. Changing demographics, emerging technology, and better collaboration across disciplines, agencies, and travel modes is moving us closer to seamless travel in many major cities. We encourage transportation planning related presentations on the following subjects: successful intergovernmental partnerships; exemplary public involvement practices; innovative and cost-effective applications of technology to improve service; and model bike/ped planning.
SRTS + Beyond. For work that focuses on improving the safety, desirability, and ease of movement for young people walking or biking to/from school. We encourage proposals on the following subjects: best practices for including youth in planning; exemplary SRTS programs (K-12); developing schools as neighborhood assets/destinations; and developing community wide youth mobility plans.
Mobile Workshops.
Peer Problem Solving Sessions.

Policy Translation Seminar on Nanotechnology Research: Soybeans, Soil, and Nodulating Bacteria
2012-09-10 11:30 - 13:30
Article of discussion: “Soybean susceptibility to manufactured nanomaterials with evidence for food quality and soil fertility interruption.”Presented by co-author: Patricia Holden of the University of California Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, University of California, Santa BarbaraAbstract:Based on previously published hydroponic plant, planktonic bacterial, and soil microbial community research, manufactured nanomaterial (MNM) environmental buildup could profoundly alter soil-based food crop quality and yield. However, thus far, no single study has at once examined the full implications, as no studies have involved growing plants to full maturity in MNM-contaminated field soil. We have done so for soybean, a major global commodity crop, using farm soil amended with two high-production metal oxide MNMs (nano-CeO2 and -ZnO). The results provide a clear, but unfortunate, view of what could arise over the long term: (i) for nano-ZnO, component metal was taken up and distributed throughout edible plant tissues; (ii) for nano-CeO2, plant growth and yield diminished, but also (iii) nitrogen fixation—a major ecosystem service of leguminous crops—was shut down at high nano-CeO2 concentration. Juxtaposed against widespread land application of wastewater treatment biosolids to food crops, these findings forewarn of agriculturally associated human and environmental risks from the accelerating use of MNMs.

Southern California Sustainability Forum
2012-08-15 07:00 - 2012-08-16 15:45
UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation Project Manager of the EV Readiness Project, Ayala Ben-Yehuda will be a panelist discussing – Electric Vehicles AreComing: What Local Governments Need to Know. For more information and to register, please visit the LARC website.

Green LA Confidential
2012-08-04 19:00 - 21:00
Please join the Luskin Center in supporting Green LA at their event, Green LA Confidential. This promises to be a fun evening of improv and storytelling featuring LA’s environmental leaders, and will take place at 7:00 pm at The Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. Jill Bourque, a highly acclaimed comedian, improviser and producer, will direct Green LA Confidential with a cast of Green LA members. The interactive show will compellingly portray Green LA’s important advocacy work and will demonstrate why the Green LA Coalition is the city’s go to environmental organization.The event will also honor Paula A. Daniels, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s senior policy advisor and the founding chair of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council.Time is running out….Purchase ‘EarlyBird’ tickets NOW & get a special bonus!

Plug-In 2012 Conference & Exposition
2012-07-23 09:00 - 2012-07-26 17:00
Brett Williams, Program Director of Electric Vehicles and Alternative Fuels at the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation will be speaking atthe upcoming Plug-In 2012 Conference & Exposition. This will be the 5th
annual event which will provide attendees with the latest insights from
experts on the technical advances, market research and policy initiatives shaping
the future of plug-in hybrid and electric transportation. Plug-in 2012 will build on the successful past
conferences, held in San Jose, CA (2008); Long Beach, CA (2009); San Jose
(2010); and Raleigh, NC (2011). Plug-In 2011 drew more than 600 attendees, 50 exhibiting companies and about 1,300
consumers for Public Night.Brett will be participating on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 from 8:30 am – 10:00 am
in Session A3:
Battery Technology and Business Cases – Future directions for battery
technology and costs and an overview of secondary use and battery recycling.For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Luskin Center Open House and Reception
2012-06-06 17:30 - 19:00
Come see the newly remodeled Luskin Center office, enjoy light food and drinks, and engage with distinguished members of the Luskin Center Board of Directors and other VIPs from on and off campus.

Valuing anti-logging and anti-poaching policies in the creation of Malaysia's largest Tropical Forest Reserve
2012-06-04 12:00 - 13:00

A World Predominately Powered by Solar and Wind Energy? A Green Family Lecture Featuring Walter Kohn, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
2012-05-29 16:00
RSVP: www.ipam.ucla.edu/programs/kohnABSTRACT:It is widely recognized that the fossil fuels, oil and natural gas, which currently provide almost 60% of the world’s energy consumption, will be largely exhausted in a few decades. At the same time world population will have increased by an estimated 30 to 40 percent by mid-century.To avoid a catastrophic energy shortage by mid-century, these fuels must be replaced by ecologically acceptable and sustainable alternatives. Solar and wind power appear to me the most promising candidates. Although, at the present time they constitute only ~ 2 percent of the global energy consumption, their production has recently been rising by a spectacular 30 to 40% per year, or a factor 15 per decade and 225 in 20 years.This arithmetic suggests that the entire deficit stemming from the impending exhaustion of oil and gas might be compensated in about 10 to 20 years by continuing aggressive commitment to solar and wind energy. Walter Kohn’s lecture will examine this speculation. “I find that it provides useful guidelines for the second half of the century and beyond. At the same time, I find a very serious energy deficit during the one to two decades of transition from the present (oil-gas)-era to the (sol-wind)-era, which will require additional measures.”
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY:
Kohn has made major contributions to the physics of semiconductors, superconductivity, surface physics and catalysis. He was the founding director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the University of California in Santa Barbara, which is one of the leading research centers in physics. He has received numerous awards including the Niels Bohr/Unesco Gold Medal, the United States National Medal of Science and the Richard Prange Prize. His role in creating Density Functional Theory, the most widely used theory of the electronic structure of matter, earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1998. In recent years, he was an active member of the U.S. government’s Basic Energy Science Advisory Committee and a consultant with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In 2005 he produced a documentary on solar power entitled “The Power of the Sun.” Kohn currently works on Macular Degeneration, renewable energies and global warming.
Originally from Austria, Walter Kahn studied mathematics and physics at the University of Toronto. He then completed his Ph.D. in nuclear physics and a posdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University followed by posdoctoral work at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen.

2012 Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo
2012-05-15 08:00 - 2012-05-17 15:00
2012 Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo
May 15-17 in Long Beach, California
ACT Expo is North America’s largest alternative fuel and
advanced vehicle technologies event
With
soaring gas prices and mobile transportation sources being a major source of air pollution in Southern California, now is the time to plan and invest
in an alternatively-fueled future.
The
2012 Alternative Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo is North America’s
largest convergence of stakeholders committed to air quality improvement by reducing emissions from
mobile sources, representing an array of clean vehicle technologies for various
applications. Esteemed event partners include the
U.S. Department of Energy and its Clean Cities Program and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. In
addition, the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation is an ACT Expo Event Supporter,
which reinforces the integral role that California
plays in clean vehicle technology advancements.
The three-day event will include keynote speakers, plenary
and breakout sessions, alternative fuel
training, networking events, technical tours and a
ride-and-drive event. Set to attract thousands of alternative fuel
stakeholders, this year’s ACT Expo will feature the following notable speakers
in addition to many others advocating for California air quality initiatives
and clean vehicle technologies:
Barry Wallerstein, Executive Director, South Coast Air Quality
Management District Judith Mitchell, Board Member, South Coast Air Quality Management
District Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City of Los Angeles Mayor Bob Foster, City of Long Beach Wesley K. Clark,
Retired Army General, Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Co-Chairman,
Growth Energy, and Member, Clinton Global Initiative’s Energy and Climate
Change Advisory Board
For a current listing of speakers
and agenda programming, please view the ACT Expo 2012 Agenda.
The discussions that take place at ACT Expo 2012 will result in real projects
and enduring air quality progress in the months and years ahead. Join the UCLA Luskin Center for
Innovation at the ACT Expo in Long Beach this May!
For more information about the ACT Expo, visit www.actexpo.com, call
(888) 993-0302 or email info@actexpo.com. Visit us online at www.facebook.com/ACTExpo and follow us on Twitter, @ACTExpo.

World EV Cities and Ecosystems Conference
2012-05-05 08:00 - 19:00
This one-day conference will bring together 300 leaders from across the globe–city and agency decision makers, business executives, and non-profit leaders–to explore best practices and innovative solutions for the deployment of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).Selected invited cities include: Amsterdam, Netherlands, Los Angeles, California, Barcelona, Spain, Melbourne, Australia, Hamburg, Germany, Paris, France, Houston, Texas, Portland, Oregon, Kanagawa, Japan, San Diego, California, Lisbon, Portugal, Shanghai, China, London, England, Stockholm, Sweden
The development of the conference is made possible by a distinguished Steering Committee which includes the following persons:
•David Beeton, EV Ecosystems at International Energy Agency
•Stephen Crolius, Senior Director, Transportation, The William J. Clinton Foundation
•J.R. DeShazo, Director, Luskin Center for Innovation, University of California, Los Angeles
•Ben Holland, Project Get Ready Manager, Rocky Mountain Institute
•Robert Stüssi, President, APEV Portuguese Electric Vehicle Association
•Paul Telleen, U.S. Department of Energy
•Tali Trigg, International Energy Agency
•Tom Turrentine, Director, PH&EV Research Center, Institute of Transportation
Studies, Univeristy of California, Davis•Yunshi Wang, Director, China Center for Energy & Transportation, University of California, Davis
Co-hosted by:
University of California, Los Angeles, Luskin Center for Innovation
University of Calfornia, Davis, Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicla (PH&EV) Research Center
Visit event website HERERegistration is $150, $75 for Government/Non-Profits, and $35 for live webcast

Nature, Urban Development and Sustainability
2012-04-02 12:00 - 13:00
SpeakerProfessor Stephanie Pincetl, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Young Professionals in Energy Networking Reception
2012-03-14 18:30 - 21:00

Smart Grid Energy Research Center (SMERC) Smart Grid - Opportunities and challenges in the creation of the 21st Century Power Grid
2012-03-05 12:00 - 13:00
About the Talk Major portions of the US electric grid are half a century old, and compared to other infrastructure, the adoption of new technology into the US grid has been relatively slow. This slow adoption of technology compared to other sectors such as telecommunications has been attributed to the reason that the existing grid is 99.97% reliable and therefore should not need upgrading. However, its structure and topology are relatively inflexible since its underlying framework was designed assuming unidirectional flow of power, control and information. As a result of this inflexible structure, integrating common renewable energy sources such as solar and wind into the grid is prohibitively expensive and unwieldy. Also, electric vehicles, now having been introduced in several markets of the country especially California, present major challenges when plugged into the grid. A smart grid would allow two-way power flow, two-way communications flow and two-way control flow. This will allow the grid to be more flexible, smart, self-healing, resilient, and efficient. To enable such a grid, a host of advanced technologies such as information technology, wireless and mobile devices, sensor and control systems, etc., have to be architected and integrated into the existing grid. Research at UCLA’s Smart Grid Energy Research Center (SMERC) focuses on the integration capability of such technologies between the medium voltage distribution grid and the consumer’s interface into the grid. Research is being performed on the creation of smart grid services that are aggregated from consumers and offered through a distribution network in a smart grid. The fundamental idea is to aggregate services at the consumer’s level with the permission and control of the consumer and then enable these aggregated services into utility-grade offerings. For example, if sufficient numbers of electric vehicle (EV) owners allow their local utility to extract power from their EVs during peak-demand periods, the utility should be willing to offer customers incentives to do so. An intermediate enterprise that aggregates 100 EVs with a nominal 6.6KW charging capacity / EV would be able to offer a 0.66MW Demand Response service into the local regulatory markets. Beyond this service, vehicles with bi-directional power flow can theoretically offer up to10x the power while discharging for short periods of time, which would imply a 6.6MW short-term, aggregation service capability. With 1000 EVs in a region, this capacity can in principle reach 66MW, which is approximately UCLA’s peak power consumption. With about 20,000 cars parked in UCLA on a typical day, if in the future 5% of its vehicles were EVs, UCLA could participate in a short-time period micro-grid market and should be able to completely operate off-the-grid for a window of time without cutting power consumption in its facilities. UCLA SMERC is been developing a wireless monitoring and control platform called WINSmartGridTM (Wireless Internet Smart Grid) that is currently being deployed in parts of UCLA called the UCLA Smart Grid Living Lab. Also, UCLA SMERC is a participant in a DOE-ARRA regional demonstration project and is experimenting with research concepts in Automated Demand Response, EV Integration (G2V and V2G) and Micro-grids using the WINSmartGridTM platform within the Living Lab. The research platform accepts inputs from electrical loads such as EVs or air-conditioners, ambient condition sensors such as temperature, humidity or occupancy sensors, and grid operator / grid condition input. It is the platform on which an EV monitoring, aggregation and control network has been developed. Research is being performed on models of aggregation under constraints of user, utility and facility, verification of such models, network architecture and performance verification for regulatory/market service, and, wireless-based monitoring and control systems and middleware in Smart Grids. The talk will present research and technical opportunities and challenges, upcoming market opportunities and their challenges, and current research progress at UCLA’s Smart Grid Energy Research Center. About the SpeakerDr. Rajit Gadh is Professor of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at UCLA, and, Founder and Director the Smart Grid Energy Research Center or SMERC. Dr. Gadh has a Doctorate degree from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), a Masters from Cornell University and a Bachelors degree from IIT Kanpur all in engineering. He has taught as a visiting researcher at UC Berkeley, has been an Assistant, Associate and Full Professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was a visiting researcher at Stanford University. Dr. Gadh’s current research interests include modeling and control of Smart Grids, wireless monitoring and control of distribution-side and consumer-side electric grids, automation architectures for Demand Response, EV Integration architecture and control system, optimized EV charging under constraints, Vehicle-to-grid and Grid-to-grid interface, Micro-grid modeling and control, and, wireless-sensor and RFID middleware architectures. Dr. Gadh’s research at SMERC is currently funded by DOE (UCLA is partnered with Los Angeles Department of Water and Power along with USC, and, JPL/Caltech for a regional demo grant, Korean Institute for Energy Research (KIER), EPRI (funded by DOE), and the UCLA Smart Grid Industry Partners Program consisting of 18 industry sponsors.He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has received the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award, NSF Research Initiation Award, and, NSF-Lucent Industry Ecology Fellow Award, Society of Automotive Engineers Ralph R. Teetor Educational award, IEEE WTS second best student paper award, ASME Kodak Best Technical Paper award, AT&T Industrial ecology fellow award, Engineering Education Foundation Research Initiation Award, the William Mong Fellowship from University of Hong Kong, and other accolades in his career. He has lectured and given keynote/distinguished addresses worldwide in countries such as Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Spain, Holland, Hong Kong, Japan, S. Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and, Thailand. Dr. Gadh serves as advisor to a handful of technology-based startups.

Complete Streets for California Conference
2012-03-02 08:30 - 17:30
Registration is now closed. Click here to sign-up on the wait list. The UCLA Complete Streets for California conference on Friday, March 2, 2012,will highlight recent accomplishments, explore new research, and presentimplementation examples and benchmarks to create multi-use street environmentsthat promote vibrant, healthy and active communities.Featuring Keynote Address from:Jonathan Fielding, Director, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and County Health Officer Gil Penalosa, Executive Director, 8-80 CitiesConference Topics Include:- What is the Role ofComplete Streets in the Larger Transportation Network? – Redefining Street Performance Metrics – Complete Streets for Whom? Equity Considerations – Re-purposing Road Space as Public Space – More than Mobility: People, Provisions and Pollution Control The conference will provide information on Complete Streets issues forplanners, elected and appointed public officials, engineers, non-profitorganizations, advocates, consultants, students and others involved in the Complete Streets field.8 hours of CM (AICP) credits are available for attendees. Co-hosts:UCLA Lewis CenterUCLA Luskin Center for InnovationUCLA Luskin School of Public AffairsFor full agenda & sponsorship opportunities, please click here.

The Oil Curse: How petroleum wealth shapes the development of nations
2012-02-06 12:00 - 13:00

The Future of Water in Southern California
2012-01-27 08:00 - 18:00
LOCAL SOURCE DEVELOPMENT • WATER REUSE • CONSERVATION • DESALINATION • AND MORELocal source development promises greater reliability, water security and progressively more cost-effective sources of water. This summit will highlight success stories from across the globe, explore emerging water reuse strategies, and identify critical policy, communications and coalition-building questions for the region.
Who should attend: The event will bring together thought leaders from water agencies, universities, the private sector, and non-profits to assess future strategies for further developing local water sources in Southern California. Participants will engage in the latest technology, research, policy, and implementation strategies.
Program highlights:
Current use of local water sources and why local sources will become more important in the future
Promise and challenges of emerging technologies − including ocean desalination and indirect and direct potable reuse of wastewater and contaminated groundwater − as well as improvements in water conservation programs
Lessons learned to communicate the social benefits of new technologies
Forming public-private partnerships to assist agencies in developing new water sources
New coalitions and organizational strategies to effectively develop these sources
Click here for full agenda.
LOCATION: Downtown L.A. at the Japanese American National Museum, 369 East First StreetTIME: January 27, 2012 from 8:15 am – 5:30 pm, followed by a reception
MORE DETAILS HERE
FOR WAITING LIST REGISTER HERE

IoES/Luskin Lunch Seminar - Matthew Kahn, "China"
2011-12-05 12:00 - 13:00
Join us for the December IoES/Luskin Lunch Seminar at 12:00PM on Monday, December 5. Professor Matt Kahn of UCLA IoES, UCLA Department of Economics, School of Public Policy, and UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation will present research on China.

Oppenheim Lecture Series - Green Chemistry: Innovation for Environmental and Economic Prosperity
2011-11-16 18:00 - 21:00
Historically, products and processes have been regulated with the goal of reducing toxicity to acceptable levels based on human health risks. Green Chemistry is a powerful tool in preventing toxicity before it occurs. This approach can lead to reduced hazard, improved performance, and economic growth simultaneously. Dr. Anastas will discuss scientific advances in the design of intrinsically safe and environmentally benign products and the resulting paradigm shift in understanding the relationship between people, chemicals, and the environment.﻿About the Speaker:Dr. Paul Anastas, known widely as the “Father of Green Chemistry” for his groundbreaking research on the design, manufacture, and use of minimally-toxic, environmentally-benign chemicals, Dr. Anastas has an extensive record of leadership in government, academia, and the private sector. To RSVP Click HereClick to see the event flyerReception at 6PM, Lecture to begin at 7PM in Fowler Museum.

10th Annual Mayoral Housing, Transportation and Jobs Summit
2011-11-16 07:30 - 14:00
BUILDING LA’S WORKFORCEFeatured and Invited Speakers: The Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa, LA City Mayor; Zev Yaroslavsky, LA County Supervisor; The Honorable Wendy Greuel, LA City Controller; The Honorable Jan Perry; LA City Council President Pro Tempore; and The Honorable Herb Wesson, Jr., LA City Councilmember
Emcee: The Honorable Henry Cisneros, Executive Chairman, CityView and Former Secretary, US Department of Housing and Urban Development; Cathy Creswell, Acting Director, California Department of Housing and Community Development; and Michael Rossi Senior Advisor for Jobs & Business Development, Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr.
CLICK HERE for more info. for more information CLICK HERE to RSVP
Panel 1: Workforce Housing in Sustainable Communities
US HUD
East LA Community Corporation
California Department of Housing and Community Development
Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco
AMCAL Multi-Housing, Inc.

Panel 2: Economic Development and Job Creation
Metro Board of Director
Capri Capital Partners
Los Angeles World Airports
JP Morgan Chase
Next Century Associates
Enterprise Community Partners

Panel 3: Empowering LA’s Solar Workforce
UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
LA Housing Department
Office of LA Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Homeboy Industries
USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity
McCormack Baron Salazar

Parking is $11 in Structure 6. http://maps.google.com/maps?daddr=34.0692482830001,-118.445759839
Follow us on Twitter: #LABCworkforcesummit

IoES/Luskin Lunch Seminar - Yoram Cohen
2011-11-07 12:00 - 13:00
November’s IoES/Luskin Lunch Research Seminar will take place on Monday, November 7 at 12:00 p.m. in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability’s large conference room in La Kretz Hall, Suite 300.The speaker is Professor Yoram Cohen from UCLA Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, and the Luskin Center for Innovation.

Greening of California
2011-10-27 18:30 - 20:00
California leads the way. Will America follow? Has California’s regulatory structure helped or hindered its economy?Join us for a free panel discussion October 27th in Santa Monica. The panel features Luskin Center Scholar Matthew Kahn and Luskin Center Advisory Board Member Mary Nichols.You must RSVP to reserve a seat; RSVP to mitchell@lalcv.org.

“E-MOBILITY – THE FUTURE OF THE AUTOMOBILE”
2011-10-26 08:00 - 14:00
Representatives from German and US institutes and manufacturers will showcase their latest developments and present concepts and solutions to overcoming hurdles that are holding back the adoption of EVs. Pressing topics such as the discussion of electric vehicle vs. hybrid vehicle, charging issues and impact on infrastructure, battery solutions, and the future of the automobile in general will be discussed, along with insights into the US and German markets. In addition representatives from the US electric vehicle industry will share their latest developments, exchange thoughts and concepts with the audience, and government and utilities will provide their insights.RSVP (required) to stanford@accessio.com for the event at Stanford University, and losangeles@accessio.com for the event at the W Hotel in Los Angeles. For further information, please contact accessio at: Email: info@accessio.com, Phone: +1 (310) 982-7633 or visitwww.accessio.com/e-mobilityFEATURED SPEAKERSJoin us to meet these exciting speakers amongst others:Daniel Rousta, Director General Ministry of Finance and Economics of the State of Baden-WürttembergPaul Scott, Founding Board Member of Plug In America and President of the Electric Vehicle Association of Southern CaliforniaJohn Tillman, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North AmericaDr. Horst Münzel, President Bosch Research and Technology CenterDr. Sven Beiker, Stanford University, Director of the center for automotive researchJR DeShazo, Director, Luskin Center for Innovation, Associate Professor of Public PolicyMarvin Moon, Director, Department of Water and Power, Los AngelesJonathan Parfrey, Commissioner, Department of Water and Power, Los AngelesDan Bowermaster, Manager: Electric & Natural Gas Vehicles, Pacific Gas & Electric CompanyMarc Geller, Co-Founder, Plug-In-AmericaRussel Vare, Manager Electric Vehicles, NissanFranz Loogan, Managing Director of the agency for e-mobility, Baden-WürttembergFor more information, go to http://www.accessio.com/e-mobility/

IoES Oppenheim Lecture Series: Albert Carnesale on “America’s Climate Choices”--THIS EVENT IS FILLED TO CAPACITY
2011-10-12 18:00 - 21:00
In 2008, Congress asked the National Academy of Sciences to establish a Committee to investigate and make recommendations on the steps needed and strategies required in response to global climate change. The National Academy report, America’s Climate Choices, was submitted to Congress in May 2011.Dr. Carnesale, who chaired this Committee, will identify and discuss key issues addressed and give an overview of the report’s recommendations to guide America’s efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions and provide leadership to prepare for unavoidable climate change effects. More information and the ReportWednesday, October 12, 2011
6:00 pm Reception7:00 pm LectureFowler Museum at UCLA, Lenart Auditorium
About the Lecturer:Albert Carnesale: UCLA, Chancellor EmeritusProfessor, Luskin School of Public AffairsProfessor, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied ScienceChair, National Academy of Sciences Committee on “America’s Climate Choices” more
THIS EVENT IS FILLED TO CAPACITY
We will have a stand-by line for the lecture and will accommodate stand-by guests on a first come first served basis if seats are available.

IoES/Luskin Lunch Seminar - Glen MacDonald, “Climate Warming and Southwest Aridity – Where we are going, where we have been and where we are now?”
2011-10-03 12:00
The first IoES/Luskin Lunch Research Seminar of the year will take place on Monday, October 3 at 12:00 p.m. in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability’s large conference room in La Kretz Hall, Suite 300.The speaker is Professor Glen MacDonald from the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and the Departments of Geography & Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
The title of his seminar is: “Climate Warming and Southwest Aridity – Where we are going, where we have been and where we are now?”
Lunch will be provided.

Climate Warming and Southwest Aridity – Where we are going, where we have been, and where we are now?
2011-10-03 12:00
Presented by Glen MacDonald, Director, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Closing the Environmental Justice Gap: A Workshop on Advancing Evaluation Methods
2011-09-30 08:00 - 18:00
Program evaluation methods have improved the design and effectiveness of a wide range of public policies. Yet despite the adoption of new types of EJ programs, there are relatively few applications of these evaluation methods to improve this first generation of EJ programs. This event will bring together leaders from across the country to 1) examine the current state of EJ programs, 2) assess the current state of EJ program evaluation, and 3) explore strategies to further develop the sub-field of EJ program evaluation. This event is co-sponsored by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development National Center for Environmental Research. The USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity also provided financial support and guidance. Other partners include scholars from the UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, and the Metropolitan Futures Initiative in the UC Irvine School of Social Ecology.PROGRAM:8:00 a.m. Check-In and Breakfast, Room 306
8:30 a.m. Introductory Remarks, Room 314Welcome: J.R. DESHAZO, Director, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation8:45 a.m. Panel 1: Background on EJ Policies and ProgramsFocus: This first panel will address the overall landscape of EJ programs and policies. Knowing the breadth and depth of EJ policies and programs is important to develop evaluation strategies, as different types of EJ programs and policies will require different types of evaluation strategies. The panel will discuss the following questions and then open up to group discussion:• What is the definition of an EJ policy/program? What are considered EJ policies and programs?• What policies and program are not explicitly EJ but have EJ consequences?• What is the landscape of EJ policies and programs at a national, state, and local level?• Where are the programs and policies concentrated and under what categories?• How are EJ areas defined in these programs and policies? What are examples of differences in definition?
Moderator & Framer: RACHEL MORELLO-FROSH, Associate Professor of Public Health and Environmental Science, Policy & Manage, UC BerkeleyPanelist: DEVON PAYNE-STURGES, Assistant Center Director for Human Health ORD/ National Center for Environmental Research of the US Environmental Protection AgencyPanelist: ROMEL PASCUAL, Deputy Mayor of Environment, Los Angeles Mayor’s OfficePanelist: VERNICE MILLER-TRAVIS, Member of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, Vice Chair of the Maryland State Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities, and Co-Founder of WE ACT for Environmental JusticePanelist: ROBERT VERCHICK, Chair in Environmental Law at Loyola University New Orleans
10:15 a.m. Comfort Break
10:30 a.m. Panel 2: Evaluation of EJ Policies and ProgramsFocus: This panel will explore the current state of EJ program and policy evaluation and firstgeneration tools, with specific examples of completed evaluation. Panelists will respond to the following questions and then open to group discussion:• What role can evaluation research play in making EJ policies and programs more effective?• What is the state of EJ program and policy evaluation?• What are examples of EJ program and policy evaluation?• Where are the gaps in effectiveness of evaluation and how might we prioritize filling these gaps?
Moderator: DOUG HOUSTON, Assistant Professor of Planning, Policy & Design, UC IrvinePanelist: KATHERINE DAWES, Director, Evaluation Support Division in the EPA Office of PolicyPanelist: PAUL ONG, Professor of Urban Planning and Asian Studies in the UCLA Luskin School of Public AffairsPanelist: SHALINI VAJIHALA, Deputy Assistant Administrator of the EPA Office of International and Tribal AffairsPanelist: PAUL MOHAI, Professor in the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan
12:00 p.m Lunch
12:45 p.m. Panel 3: Foundation and Government PerspectiveFocus: A panel of foundation and government agency representatives will reflect on how evaluation can strengthen program design and implementation. The panel will give an overview of what they are investing in and how these priorities are shaped.Moderator: MANUEL PASTOR, Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and Director of the USC Program for Environmental and Regional EquityPanelist: CHARLES LEE, Deputy Associate Administrator for Environmental Justice at the U.S. EPAPanelist: RAMTIN ARABLOUEI, Program Manager for Environmental Health and Environmental Justice at the Health and Environmental Funders NetworkPanelist: ERIN ROGERS, Environment Program Officer for the William and Flora Hewlett FoundationPanelist: MICHELE PRICHARD, Director, Common Agenda at Liberty Hill
1:30 p.m. Panel 4: Best Practices for EJ Program DesignFocus: Given major categories of EJ programs discussed in Panel 1, panelists will discuss four example EJ programs representative of these categories. We will explore how to best evaluate the effectiveness of these programs, recognizing that EJ programs may take a wide range of institutional forms, and that these programs are often embedded in complex policy processes.Moderator: J.R. DESHAZO, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.Panelist: ADRIANO MARTINEZ, Environmental Justice Project Attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, to discuss the Harbor Community Mitigation Fund at the Port of Los Angeles as an example of EJ programs that reduce pollution and/or mitigate disproportionate impacts.Panelist: MARVA KING, EPA CARE Program Co-Chair, to discuss the EPA’s CARE program, an example of a community capacity building program.Panelist: NURY MARTINEZ, Executive Director of Pacoima Beautiful, to give a community perspective on the CARE program.Panelist: ZOE HELLER, Environmental Protection Specialist with EPA Region 9, to describe the Los Angeles Area Environmental Enforcement Collaborative, an example enforcement program.Panelist: GEORGE ALEXEEFF, Acting Director of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Cal/EPA, to discuss OEHHA’s development of a screening methodology to assess cumulative impacts.3:00 p.m. Break-Out Groups: Development of a Research AgendaFocus: Building off the preceding panel, participates will organize into break-out groups, one per example program described in Panel 4. Participants will discuss considerations, challenges, and ideal approaches and methods to evaluate an example EJ program. The facilitator will give participants the opportunity to address the following types of questions:• Why it is important to evaluate this type of program?• What are the challenges in doing so?• What should be the key goals of the evaluation?• Is there an outcome or series of outcomes in a model of causuality that should be addressed in the evaluation?• What is an ideal framework and approach to evaluate this program?• What data is needed and who has it?• What key steps would be involved?
4:15 p.m. Report Out from Break-Out Groups
4:45 p.m. Closing RemarksKeynote: LISA GARCIA, Senior Advisor to the Administrator for Environmental Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySynthesis: MANUEL PASTOR, USC Program on Environment and Regional Equity
5:00 p.m. Reception
6:00 p.m. Adjourn

Research Center Student Orientation
2011-09-21 12:00 - 14:00
Orientation is for incoming and continuing students in master’s and Ph.D. programs. Come learn about opportunities for you to enhance your studies through support for your research! For more information on the Luskin Center for Innovation please see the attached fact sheet.

Local Energy Generation Resources: A Working Conference (July 25-26)
2011-07-25 08:00 - 2011-07-26 17:00
This two day conference will address the issue of designing and implementing a local system of renewable energy production in California.Governor Jerry Brown has called for 12,000 MW of renewable power generated within the local power distribution grid. Implementing this effort will offer important advantages in California’s drive for clean power – development of local resources, avoided costs of new intercity transmission or remote generation, and additional consumer autonomy. But taking this goal to the level envisioned by the Governor calls for new approaches and new coalitions between consumers, community leaders, utilities and power providers. Some of the challenges include:• financing tools that help build new power sources, but also keep costs as low as possible.• improvements to existing wires and transformers, and new policies to speed connections • policies and techniques to measure and manage power demand and variable power sources • new efforts in local land use, building and fire codes to speed up deployment. Unlike the large utility-scale renewables projects, which compete in a statewide market, these projects are tied to the local grid, and are more sensitive to local conditions. Many of these issues stand outside or straddle the policy authorities of individual federal or local agencies. No one constituency can resolve the challenges in every jurisdiction. The two-day conference will explore these challenges in detail by engaging stakeholders in discussions with experts, regulators and other stakeholder groups. The invitation-only conference is intended to be highly participatory and requires extensive facilitation and advance work. Some participants will take roles as participants or facilitators. All participants will review discussion papers set for each panel, as well as other conference materials (such as a paper describing technologies and their attributes.) For more information visit the official website at http://gov.ca.gov/s_energyconference.php

CD-9 Community Solar Forum
2011-07-16 09:30 - 12:00
J.R. DeShazo will be one of several experts to present information at the CD-9 Community Solar Forum. This forum will help to identify policies, regulations and initiatives, such as a Solar Feed-in Tariff and the current Solar Incentive Program that are needed to bring about more sustainable solar rooftop development and job creation in Los Angeles.
Joining as moderator and keynote speaker will be Los Angeles City Council President Pro Tempore Jan Perry. Invited and confirmed speakers include: JR DeShazo, Director, UCLA Luskin Center, Manuel Pastor, Director, USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) , co-authors of the “Making a Market: Multi-family Rooftop Solar and Social Equity in Los Angeles” study as well as representatives from the LADWP, LADBS, and members of the community with a vested interest in renewable energy and job creation.

UCCS presents J.R. DeShazo - "Improving the Design of Local Solar Programs: A Case Study of Los Angeles"
2011-06-30 12:00 - 13:30
In the search for clean energy solutions, new public policies are creating incentives for solar energy throughout California. J.R. DeShazo, Director of the Luskin Center for Innovation, will discuss his high-profile solar policy study that provides data on the potential impact that regional solar power policies can have on Los Angeles’ renewable power sources. Specifically, his analysis of rooftop solar potential in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is endowed not only with bountiful sunshine, but also with vast expanses of low-rise urban development that offers valuable sitting opportunities for distributed solar energy generation. In addition, DeShazo will give a brief overview of his recent solar Feed-In Tariff research which resulted in Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s release of a long-term, comprehensive solar plan, including a proposal for a solar Feed-in Tariff program administered by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The information may prove useful for economic development planners, solar photovoltaic (PV) installers, utility planners, building owners, public administrators, labor union leadership, and anyone interested in the development of solar power in California.
Visit http://bit.ly/jHkXF8 to register.
