Mobility Network presents ‘Getting mobility to Net Zero’
Transportation is the largest emitting sector of GHG in Ontario, responsible for 32% of emissions in 2020.
Today, 94% of Ontario’s electricity generation is emissions free.
Are we all set to cruise into a sustainable EV future or is there more to it?
Speakers
Steve Easterbrook is the Director of the School of the Environment and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. He received his Ph.D. (1991) in Computing from Imperial College in London (UK), and joined the faculty at the School of Cognitive and Computing Science, University of Sussex. From 1995-99, he was lead scientist at NASA´s Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility in West Virginia, where he investigated software verification on the Space Shuttle Flight Software, the International Space Station, and the Earth Observation System. He moved to the University of Toronto in 1999. His research interests range from modelling and analysis of complex adaptive systems to the socio-cognitive aspects of team interaction. His current research is in climate informatics, where he studies how climate scientists develop computational models to improve their understanding of earth systems and climate change, and the broader question of how that knowledge is shared with other communities. He has been a visiting scientist at the UK Met Office Hadley Centre, in Exeter; the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, in Boulder, Colorado; the Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology, in Hamburg; and, the Institute Pierre Simon Laplace, in Paris.
Olivier Trescases is a professor in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. He is the director of the University of Toronto Electric Vehicle Research Centre, where he is participating in multi-disciplinary collaborations with leading automotive suppliers and OEMs. His expertise is in the area of energy management, high-frequency/high-density power electronics, battery management systems, electric vehicles and power integrated circuits, including wide bandgap semiconductors.
Dianne Zimmerman is the City of Mississauga’s environment manager where she works with City departments and external stakeholders to identify innovative projects that will help Mississauga transition to a net-zero city. Dianne brings more than twenty five years of private and public sector experience in climate and clean energy policy, project implementation and strategic leadership. Prior to joining the City, she led Partners in Project Green, a program designed to advance sustainability efforts with businesses and municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area. Before that, she was the director of transportation for the Pembina Institute finding solutions to reduce freight emissions and support increased transit efficiency. From 2001 to 2015, Dianne worked for Suncor Energy advancing climate efforts and advocating for renewable energy policies.
Moderator
Marianne Hatzopoulou is Professor in the Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Transport Decarbonization and Air Quality. She leads the Transportation and Air Quality (TRAQ) research group studying the interactions between transportation, air quality, climate change, and public health; she published 150 publications on these topics. Prof. Hatzopoulou is also the Director of Positive Zero Transport Futures, a living lab ecosystem for testing transport decarbonization innovations with positive societal outcomes. Prof. Hatzopoulou is on the Canadian team of researchers who were the 2021 recipients of the NSERC Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering. In 2022, she received the University of Toronto Engineering Alumni Network 2T5 Mid-Career Achievement Award. She is an associate editor of the journal Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment and the incoming chair for the Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on “Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation” (2023-2026).
Register to attend
Register on Eventbrite for this virtual event.
Free. All are welcome.
If any specific accommodations are needed, please contact mobilitynetwork@utoronto.ca. Requests should be made as early as possible.
About The Way Forward
Explore the many ways mobility affects our lives at The Way Forward, a panel discussion series. Join the conversation!
All sessions take place online on Tuesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and are free. Registration is required.
An introductory overview will be followed by short presentations, a moderated panel discussion, and audience Q & A. This event will be recorded and shared.