Join us as we showcase the 2025 Geothermal Rising Scholarship recipients, emerging researchers shaping the future of geothermal energy. These talented students are tackling some of the industry’s most exciting challenges, from AI-driven subsurface mapping and proppant modeling at Utah FORGE to geothermal prospectivity in Australia’s Eromanga Basin. You’ll also hear about smart tracers designed to improve geothermal system efficiency and an overview of key trends in China’s growing geothermal sector.

This event celebrates the creativity and curiosity driving the next generation of geothermal professionals. By attending, you’ll help champion these scholars and their groundbreaking research as they lead the way toward a more sustainable energy future.

Join us to support, learn from, and be inspired by the 2025 Geothermal Rising Scholars!

Meet our student presenters:

Kayode Adewole
Federal University of Technology, Akure – Applied Geology
Kayode is a junior majoring in Applied Geology with a growing passion for geothermal energy exploration. His early academic work focuses on the potential for geothermal resource mapping in West Africa and the tools needed to characterize subsurface systems for sustainable energy production.

Ayat Alasadi
The University of Utah – Civil and Environmental Engineering (Ph.D.)
Ayat’s research focuses on numerical modeling of geothermal reservoirs to better understand heat transfer and fluid flow in fractured rock systems. Her work contributes to optimizing reservoir management and improving the long-term sustainability of geothermal production.

Daniel Akinyemi
University of Houston – Geophysics and Seismology
Daniel’s research investigates changes in seismic properties and wave patterns associated with geothermal reservoirs. In his presentation, he will highlight techniques to detect subsurface changes during geothermal production using advanced seismic imaging and machine learning approaches.

Aaron Baxter
Cornell University – Chemical Engineering (Ph.D. Candidate)
Aaron’s research examines the characterization and scaling behavior of geothermal brines to improve the efficiency of resource extraction and minimize operational challenges. His work supports the development of next-generation geothermal systems with improved thermal and chemical stability.

Michael Natzler
Peking University, Yenching Academy – China Studies (International Relations Track)
Michael will explore the policy and geopolitical dimensions of geothermal energy within China’s broader decarbonization strategy. His presentation highlights international cooperation opportunities and the role of geothermal power in achieving net-zero commitments.

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Ryan Tracey (Sonoma Clean Power): Role of clean firm resources like geothermal in long-term resource planning for utilities pursuing decarbonization; SCP’s GeoZone as an example of utility-industry partnership to encourage geothermal development; California’s policy support for geothermal: procurement orders, RPS/SB 100, opt-in; Barriers & opportunities in widescale deployment and adoption of geothermal power

N. N. Nortey Yeboah (Southern Company): Low-temperature geothermal applications across the Southeast; thermal energy networks; emerging geothermal drilling innovations that could enable access to deep geothermal resources

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Join us for a discussion of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), highlighting the FORGE project and reviewing economic and technical hurdles.

Speakers

John McLennan (FORGE): FORGE overview, recent successes and remaining questions

Colleen Barton (Baker Hughes): “Three-Dimensional Modeling of Enhanced Geothermal Systems for Heat Production and Economics”

Kareem El-Sadi (Fervo): "Modernizing Geothermal Field Operations: Lessons From Real-World Execution at Fervo"

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Join us for an exciting series of presentations demonstrating the broad range of geothermal research happening at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Speakers:

Jana Simo: A brief overview of geothermal research at PNNL

Dr. Hunter Knox: Leveraging coda from waveforms generated by a continuous downhole active seismic source system to investigate fracture development during the EGS Collab 1 experiment

Jason Hou: An integrated exploration strategy to identify the subsurface fingerprint of Hawai’i's prospective resources and strategically reduce exploration risk and cost

Nicole Harvey: A feasibility assessment of installing geothermal power plants across the Department of Defense (DoD) enterprise, including the methodology used in the assessment, as well as a discussion of the challenges unique to the department of defense

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Please join us for a lively discussion of surface operations in geothermal development. Industry experts will present on a variety of topics, including binary power plant development, ORC technology advancements, transmission processes, and more. A moderated Q&A session will follow the presentations. 

Speaker Highlights

Joseph Bonafin (Turboden): technology overview, innovations in Organic Rankine cycle

Justin Schnegelberger & Derek Lester (Burns & McDonnell): transmission & interconnection, supply chain bottlenecks

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On May 27th, 2025 Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed the Geologic Storage Enterprise & Geothermal Resources bill, and on August 6th it will effectively become state law. This new law aims to support geothermal development and geologic carbon storage in Colorado, and Geothermal Rising is hosting an online Forum-Webinar to present the finer details of the new law, and give stakeholders an opportunity to ask questions to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources offices impacted by this new law.

Agenda:

• 10:00-10:05, Introductions from Geothermal Rising and Hot Springs Association
• 10:05-10:25, Kevin Donegan, CO Department of Water Resources (DWR), presenting on the new DWR online portal tool, and resources publicly available.
• 10:25-10:35, Mike Rigby, CO Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC), presenting on how the new law will impact geothermal exploration.
• 10:35-11:30, Open forum for audience questions

This is a free event and open to the public.

• Date: August 6th
• Time: 10 am MT

Please Register Here

Join us for a dynamic session that connects macro-level strategy—capital discipline, modularity, and faster development cycles—with micro-level technology advances, such as high-temperature drilling fluids and lost circulation control. Whether you're focused on engineering, investment, policy, or commercialization, this conversation will help you understand what it takes to scale geothermal, both above and below ground.

Starting time: 9am (Pacific) / Noon (Eastern)

SPEAKER HIGHLIGHTS:
Rickey Bird Jr. (Sinclair Well Products): High-temperature drilling fluids, lubricants, and lost circulation materials that solve real-world barriers to geothermal deployment
Nasikul Islam (Exceed GeoEnergy): What can transition from oil-and-gas style execution frameworks to increase the bankability for geothermal energy infrastructure

Register here

REGISTER HERE