(April 10, 2012 - Calgary) - Dr. Dan Wicklum, Chief Executive of Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), will be the Keynote Speaker at the 2nd Annual Innovation Summit: The Future of Alberta Energy at Hotel Arts on May 16. Co-hosted by the Calgary Council for Advanced Technology (CCAT) and Alberta ICT, the summit will also feature a distinguished panel of speakers who will share their experiences and ideas on innovations under development to produce clean energy in Alberta.
Dr. Wicklum has served in various capacities with the federal government, including Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources and the Government House Leader, Director of Strategic Alliances for Natural Resources at the Canadian Forest Service, as well as Founder and Executive Director of the Canadian Forest Innovation Council. He holds a BSc. in Biology from the University of Guelph, and M Sc. and PhD degrees in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Calgary and the University of Montana, and has also worked for Environment Canada as Director General of Wildlife and Landscape Science and Water and Science and Technology. In his new role, Dr. Wicklum will lead COSIA toward progress in breaking down barriers to innovation and applying solutions-oriented innovation to four environmental priority areas: greenhouse gases, land, tailings and water.
The Summit's Panel will include Dr. Eddy Isaacs, CEO of Alberta Innovates Energy & Environment Solutions (AI-EES), which is responsible for Alberta's strategic directions and investments in energy, environmental technologies and renewable resources;
Susan Cole, CEO of Enhance Energy, the company that plans to build Alberta's first CO2 pipeline distribution system; Len Heckel, Manager of Shell Canada's Quest Project to remove one million tons of CO2 emissions from the Scotford refinery near Ft. Saskatchewan; Ed Whittingham, Executive Director of the Pembina Institute, a non-profit think tank that provides policy research and leadership on energy issues including oil sands, coal bed methane, green economics and energy; and Bruce Graham, President and CEO of Calgary Economic Development (CED), a key player in local workforce development and investment attraction in the City of Calgary.
"We are very excited about this event, which is our annual signature dinner event," noted Robert Lam, CCAT President. "This event is shaping up to be the event of the year in Calgary regarding the highly relevant and timely topic of energy and its future development in our Province. Our speakers are leaders in their respective industry sectors and we look forward to hearing their insights on how to break down the different and sometime competing barriers to advance innovation across the energy ecosystem."
The Summit will include a trade show sponsored by Alberta ICT, followed by a three course dinner, keynote presentation and a panel discussion by industry experts. "We are looking forward to a great event featuring a variety of companies exhibiting various technologies and excellent networking opportunities for all attendees," added Alberta ICT President Drew McNaughton. Alberta ICT recently joined forces with CCAT to collaborate and co-brand technology events in Calgary.
For more information please contact:
Ruth Adams
Vice Chair, CCAT Marcom Committee
Phone: (403) 208-1967
Email: marcom@ccat.org
ABOUT CCAT (www.ccat.org) ~ Founded in 1983, the Calgary Council for Advanced Technology (CCAT) provides a forum to enhance technology awareness, business development and networking for the advanced technology community. CCAT brings business and technology professionals together for networking events that feature informative talks about leading edge technologies in a cross section of industries.
ABOUT COSIA (www.cosia.ca) ~ Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) is an alliance of oil sands producers focused on accelerating the pace of improvement in environmental performance in Canada's oil sands through collaborative action and innovation. Launched on March 1, 2012, it includes representatives of 12 companies with a collective commitment to encourage responsible and sustainable growth of Canada's oil sands, focusing on greenhouse gases, land, tailings and water issues.
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