2025 TXLAOK RIG December Happy Hour event
📅 Date: Thursday, December 4, 2025
🕟 Time: 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Enjoy great company, festive vibes, and stimulating energy conversations at this casual end-of-the-year gathering.
We look forward to seeing you!
This year’s Geothermal Rising (GRC) Conference in Reno was, as always, a remarkable convergence of the brightest minds in our industry. But for me, this year's event held a profound personal significance. I was given the privilege of presenting the inaugural Dr. Jim Bose Excellence in Heat Pumps Award.
To stand on that stage and inaugurate an award bearing his name was a full-circle moment that connected the very beginnings of my own career with the innovative future our industry is now building.
The award was presented to a deserving pioneer of the modern era, Matthieu Simon, CTO and Co-founder of Celsius, for his work in pushing the boundaries of geothermal design.
For me, this was more than a ceremony. It was a chance to honor the man who trained me, Dr. Jim Bose, and to recognize the new generation of leaders who are carrying his legacy forward.
To understand the weight of this award, you must first understand the man it’s named for.
Dr. Jim Bose, a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Oklahoma State University (OSU), is widely and correctly regarded as the "father of the modern geothermal heat pump industry." While the concept of a heat pump had been around since the 1940s, it was Dr. Bose who, during the energy crisis of the 1970s, recognized its massive potential and dedicated his life to making it a practical, scalable reality.
His true breakthrough was developing the foundational engineering equations for closed-loop ground heat transfer. He essentially cracked the code, transforming geothermal from a niche idea into a verifiable, designable, and reliable technology.
But his genius didn't stop at the math. Dr. Bose understood that an industry needs a home. In 1987, he founded the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) at OSU. This single act established a global hub for research, development, and, most importantly, standardized training. He turned Stillwater, Oklahoma, into the epicenter of the geothermal universe.
This new award is a continuation of Dr. Bose's life's work. It was established by Geothermal Rising to recognize "outstanding advancement in the development and deployment of low-temperature heat pump technology."
It's fitting that the first-ever recipient is Matthieu Simon and his team at Celsius.
Matthieu’s work represents the next logical evolution of Dr. Bose’s original equations. While Dr. Bose gave us the foundational science, Matthieu is pioneering the tools to optimize and deploy it at a massive scale in complex urban environments.
Celsius has pioneered a new approach that combines innovative well placement (including inclined well geometries), advanced digital twins, and physics-based full-system models. This work bridges the gap between raw subsurface science and practical, deployable, and highly efficient solutions for decarbonizing large buildings and campuses.
It is exactly the kind of innovation Dr. Bose championed.
Presenting that award to Matthieu was one of the great honors of my career. It felt like the past shaking hands with the future.
From being a young entrepreneur sitting in Dr. Bose's classroom at OSU, absorbing the fundamentals, to standing on the GRC stage recognizing a new leader who is defining the industry's future—it's a powerful testament to how far this industry has come.
We are no longer a niche concept. We are an essential solution.
Congratulations, Matthieu Simon, on being the fitting and deserving recipient of this inaugural award. The foundations Dr. Bose laid are strong, and the future being built upon them—by innovators like you—is brighter than ever.
At 25th WPC Energy Congress, policy, innovation, and investment intersect, offering a neutral and inclusive platform for Heads of State, Ministers, CEOs, Presidents, and global thought leaders to accelerate practical, actionable pathways to a low-carbon, secure, and equitable energy future. Engage in solution-focused discussions addressing the social, environmental, and economic challenges shaping the global energy transition.
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.
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