 So good morning, and it's really my pleasure to join Sally and welcoming you to the 2017 global climate and energy project symposium. I am so pleased I got here a little early So I could hear Sally's talk because I don't usually get to hear that much Sort of nice review of what's been accomplished and boy is it impressive 15 years ago President John Hennessey announced the launch of GSEP at Stanford And he called it a revolutionary collaboration between Stanford and its industry partners Dedicating 225 million towards solving quote one of the most pressing problems We face today the generation and consumption of energy in an environmentally benign way It was one of the most pressing problems. We faced 15 years ago It was it is one of the most pressing problems. We face today It will be one of the most pressing problems we face long into the future Since then this pioneering program has really had a profound Impact on this institution, and I'd like to talk about that for a minute Thanks to the foresight and support of sponsors ExxonMobil, Schlumberger Bank of America and our past sponsors GE, Toyota and DuPont we've been able to work at a scale That's empowered a broad and deep search for solutions across a spectrum of energy fields Over the past 15 years GSEP has awarded 209 million to researchers at Stanford and other institutions To develop technologies as you heard from Sally with one big goal in mind to work towards a decarbonized future It's been a very bold effort Many areas of GSEP funded research have been considered to cutting edge for traditional funding sources Technologies ranging from all carbon solar cells and aluminum batteries to negative emissions and wirelessly charged electric cars as you just heard Now GSEP set us on a path to transform the way we pursue energy study and research at Stanford Faculty members have been encouraged to think outside of their individual areas and to take a Multidisciplinary and collaborative view of energy and climate science, and they have responded The big picture approach of GSEP has created collaboration and partnerships Among researchers in 18 different departments at Stanford including material science, biology, physics, chemistry, geological Sciences, geophysics, engineering, applied physics, and many more What I've observed from my time at SLAC and at the School of Engineering in particular is that GSEP acted like a great Attractor Allowing us to bring incredible talent to the university in the energy space and then it helped connect that talent across what is a dispersed and decentralized institution and Dispersed and decentralized intellectual landscape it helped the faculty focus on bigger challenges With the potential for better solutions Today we have more than 200 faculty with expertise in energy from renewable technologies Such as solar and wind to issues affecting policy and economics And I'm heartened to see that student interest in the energy field is growing We now offer more than 300 energy courses and a number of energy degrees But the influence of GSEP can be felt well beyond the halls of Stanford And I'd like to share with you some of those impressive numbers in Combination with the resource resources and know-how of our industry partners We've unleashed the creative energy of 200 researchers at 46 institutions worldwide funding more than a hundred projects In addition GSEP investigators have submitted 60 patent applications with 15 patents already issued The program has supported nearly a thousand students and postdoctoral researchers Many of whom are now pursuing careers in the energy sector Some of them are here. They'll be presenting posters and participating in the energy startup showcase Which features new companies with Stanford alums at the helm Now building on the strong base of GSEP We've been significantly expanding our efforts in energy research and education here at Stanford and in 2009 We established the pre-court Institute for energy through the general through a generous gift from alumnus Jay pre-court The pre-court Institute has become a hub for bringing together our growing community of energy Scientists engineers and other scholars to stimulate interaction and collaboration In addition business leaders policymakers legal experts and others are partnering with us in a quest for solutions to the world's most Difficult energy challenges more than a dozen centers and programs focused on energy research Now complement and enrich the cross-university efforts of the Institute Creating what is now 15 years later become a really broad Ecosystem at Stanford that encompasses energy climate science policy and economics Through the programs and initiatives of the pre-court Institute Stanford has been able to examine the energy field through a variety of lenses and employ a broad range of approaches and Working in this way and at this scale encourages collaboration innovation and risk-taking hallmarks of cutting-edge research This is the future of research in the energy sector Interdisciplinary thinkers who can work across multiple fields in the quest to develop transformative technologies Policies and businesses It's been a huge change at this institution over 15 years with we hope even increasing impact going into the future So looking ahead Stanford recently embarked on long-range planning to look at our future We're in the early stages of evaluating more than 2,800 ideas and proposals that have come from our community to help shape the university's future We've all been thrilled to see the energy and enthusiasm of participants across the university community It's a little too soon to zero in on specific proposals coming out of the process But we do know that the themes of sustainability are coming from all directions in our community Our mission will continue to be about education and research for the benefit of the broader world But I think the subject about which you are gathered will be front and center and it our long-range Vision will continue to have a commitment to the sustainability and environmental stewardship Which are so important for the future of our planet We've made your research underway at Stanford in the areas of renewable energy energy storage cleaner fossil fuels energy efficiency and energy policy We are making a concerted effort for the greater good And I really want to recognize a few people Well first I'd like to recognize everyone who's involved in this important research But there are a few individuals I'd like to call out I'd like to especially acknowledge the GSEP and pre-court Institute leadership teams Lynn or great to have you back Lynn Founding director of both GSEP and the pre-court Institute for Energy Chris Edwards The GSEP founding deputy director Sally Benson GSEP director and pre-court Institute for Energy co-director Arun Majumdar Pre-court Institute for Energy co-director and again Richard Sassoon GSEP managing director Thank you all for your vision and your leadership for your efforts in training and educating the next generation of leaders in energy And a heartfelt thanks to the senior leaders from our sponsor Companies who have served over the years on the GSEP management committee as technical representatives Thank you all for joining us for this year's conference Thank you for your ongoing efforts to help move the world to a sustainable future for energy. Thank you