Nov. 6, Friday -- Top professionals, entrepreneurs and executives in law, engineering and environmental sciences will explore the future of "cleantech" -- alternative energy and a broad range of other environmentally sensitive innovations -- during a daylong symposium at the UC Davis School of Law.

The symposium, entitled “CleanTech in the New ‘Environmental’ Environment,” will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Wilkins Moot Courtroom in King Hall. Lunch will be served at the Walter A. Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center. All panel discussions are free and open to the public. The luncheon is $15 for students and $25 for others. To reserve a seat, register by Oct. 28 at http://www.law.ucdavis.edu/news/events/fenwickwest/cleantech-program.html.

Industry watchers hail cleantech as the “next big thing.” The emerging industry was one of the largest recipients of venture capital last year. President Obama has pledged to invest $150 billion over 10 years to establish a green energy sector capable of creating millions of new jobs.

Speakers will address developments in the entrepreneurial environment and the expanding role of universities and governments in providing financial, regulatory and technological support for the cleantech industry. They also will discuss how society, businesses and governments ranging from the Obama administration to key states and foreign countries are moving rapidly to develop green economies. Panelists will include:

• John Doerr, general partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a leading venture capital firm; director of Google, Amazon.com and several private companies; and appointee to President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Doerr is one of the keynote speakers.
• Daniel Sperling, UC Davis professor of civil engineering and environmental science and policy; founding director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis; and acting director of the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center. Sperling also is a keynote speaker.
• Peter F. Ward, alternative fuel and vehicle technology program manager, California Energy Commission
• Erik Stenehjem, director, Industrial Partnerships Office, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Bill Tucker, executive director, Office of Technology Transfer, University of California Office of the President
• Peter Van Deventer, president and CEO, SynapSense
• Hal La Flash, director, Emerging Clean Technologies, Pacific Gas & Electric
• Paul Holland, partner, Foundation Capital, and board member, Serious Materials

The cleantech symposium is the second in a five-year Technology, Entrepreneurship, Science and Law lecture series co-sponsored by the UC Davis School of Law and Fenwick & West, a law firm serving technology and life sciences clients through offices in Mountain View, San Francisco and Seattle.

About UC Davis

For 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 31,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $500 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges -- Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science -- and advanced degrees from six professional schools -- Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.