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UTIG Fall Seminar Series 2026: Jason SylvanAugust, 28 2026Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AMLocation: UTIG Seminar Conference Room - 10601 Burnet Road, Bldg. 196/ROC 1.603 Speaker: Jason Sylvan, Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, professor Title: Very much alive ecosystems on dead hydrothermal vent deposits Host: Chris Lowery and Elizabeth Spiers Abstract: Active hydrothermal vent systems are a vital component of the ocean system, balancing elemental budgets, exchanging heat with the Earth’s interior, and hosting unique biological communities. While decades of study have produced robust descriptions of microbial and animal communities on and within actively venting deposits, interest in the study of their inactive counterparts is more recent. Inactive hydrothermal deposits are a potential target for deep sea mining of precious minerals, therefore it is more important than ever to document and study them to understand what ecosystem services they provide and what potentially unique biology they host to help inform conservation and management practices should mining occur. Prior and ongoing work by myself and other researchers has shown that there is a succession of microorganisms on hydrothermal deposits after vents become inactive, resulting in a microbial community with different functional potential than on actively venting deposits. This is important because it indicates that inactive vent microbial communities comprise a unique ecosystem from those on active vents or other deep sea habitats. While the identity of microorganisms on inactive vent deposits is now understood in a broad sense, rates of processes and the presence and/or identity of animal communities are still largely unconstrained. In this seminar, I will provide an introduction to inactive hydrothermal vent deposits as an ecosystem, including what microorganisms are present, and present recent developments from my lab and collaborators on their microbial ecology, the ecosystem services they are known to provide, and what little is known about animal communities on these features. Click here for more info including a link to the Zoom room. |
DeFord Lecture | Geeta PersadSeptember, 03 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: JGB 2.324 Climate Risk in an Era of Rapidly Evolving Human Emissions by Geeta Persad, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin |
KBH Energy ExpoSeptember, 10 2026Time: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PMLocation: McCombs School of Business, CBA Atrium (3rd Floor) The expo is designed to connect UT Austin students with the energy companies and professionals shaping the industry. Every company table includes a working professional (engineer, analyst, operator) alongside their recruiting team, so you can have real conversations about what it\'s actually like to work in energy. |
DeFord Lecture | Karen WilcoxSeptember, 10 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: JGB 2.324 Digital Twins and Their Impact Across Science, Technology and Society by Karen Wilcox, director of the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin |
2026 KBH Energy Center Energy SymposiumSeptember, 11 2026Time: 12:00 AM - 12:00 AMLocation: AT&T Hotel & Conference Center, Zlotnik Family Ballroom Conference Headlined by Michael K. Wirth, Chevron CEO, and Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, this year’s Energy Symposium will convene industry leaders, faculty, and students for a series of insightful panel discussions. It will explore the industry’s most pressing challenges and emerging opportunities shaping the future of energy. |
Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar SeriesSeptember, 11 2026Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: BEG Bldg 130, VR Room 1.116C BEG Seminar presented by Xueying Xie, Ph.D. Principal and Director Subsurface Technology Simulation & Design of OXY, in person. Topic: Overview of EOR in Unconventional Reserviours Unconventional reservoirs retain substantial oil after primary depletion, but ultra-low permeability, heterogeneous rock properties, complex hydraulic-fracture networks, and conformance limitations reduce the effectiveness of conventional EOR methods. This talk reviews EOR technologies, key unconventional EOR challenges, and the current status of gas/CO2 and chemical huff-and-puff processes that leverage existing horizontal wells and stimulated reservoir volume. Main recovery mechanisms include oil swelling, viscosity reduction, vaporization, diffusion, miscibility above minimum miscibility pressure, interfacial-tension reduction, wettability alteration, and improved matrix-fracture fluid exchange. Field pilots in the Bakken, Eagle Ford, and Permian Basins, conducted by multiple operators using various injectants, have demonstrated measurable incremental oil response in unconventional reservoirs. Oxy is expanding EOR into unconventional reservoirs, representing a resource opportunity of more than 2 billion BOE, as highlighted in the Q3 2025 earnings call. Experience in the Permian Basin has demonstrated a practical pathway from laboratory evaluation to field deployment and commercialization, with pilots showing promising incremental oil production. The next milestone is to transition unconventional EOR from successful pilot projects to repeatable commercial-scale developments. |
DeFord Lecture | Alan RooneySeptember, 17 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: JGB 2.324 |
Big Rivers on Mars!September, 18 2026Time: 5:30 AM - 8:15 AMLocation: Welch Grand Hallway and 2.224 Auditorium What can ancient rivers on Mars reveal about the planet’s past and its potential for life? In this Hot Science – Cool Talks with Timothy Goudge, explore ancient rivers, catastrophic floods, and massive drainage systems on Mars, and how the planet’s lack of plate tectonics shaped its unique landscape and potential for life. By studying relic rivers and water-shaped landscapes on Mars, scientists are uncovering clues about the planet’s history and where life may once have had a chance to exist. After all, where waters flow, life often follows. |
Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar SeriesSeptember, 18 2026Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: BEG Bldg 130, VR Room 1.116C BEG Seminar presented by Katie Smye of BEG, in person. Topic: TBD |
DeFord Lecture | Emily BrodskySeptember, 24 2026Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PMLocation: JGB 2.324 |