Jennie Stephens, sustainability science and policy professor at the University Of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, will discuss energy systems transition at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9 in Communications Facility 120 at Western Washington University.

The event is part of Huxley College of the Environment’s speaker series, and is free and open to the public. The lecture is also part of the Alaska Airlines Speaker Series.

In her lecture, titled “Power Struggles in Energy System Transition,” Stephens discuss two different emerging energy technologies–smart grid and carbon capture and storage technology.

One technology aim to make the world’s fossil fuel-specific infrastructure more efficient, while the other could make it cleaner. Smart grid technology refers to using digital communications systems to react to local changes in the electrical grid. Carbon capture and storage technology is a process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide to keep it out of Earth’s atmosphere.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer session.