Through I-WEST workshops, seminars, and listening sessions, we learned that water is a critical factor in regional energy transition planning. While energy-water systems are interdependent at all scales, from global to regional, communities within the Intermountain West are faced with unique challenges and opportunities. Water scarcity is an ongoing concern, especially in the face of prolonged drought, infrastructure needs, and increasing temperatures; meanwhile, with advances in water treatment technologies, there is high potential to utilize produced water for energy production and other industrial use cases. The Four Corners Energy & Water Innovation Student Symposium marked an important step toward sustaining an ongoing dialog on this important topic with students, faculty, and other researchers in the region.

The US Department of Energy and US Department of the Interior were the driving forces behind the student symposium. Both agencies are committed to partnering across the federal government to develop integrated solutions to energy-water challenges through a new initiative called the Nexus of Energy and Water Sustainability (NEWS). They are also interested in collaboration at the regional level, which is what made the symposium especially exciting. The Four Corners is home to colleges and universities on the leading edge of energy and water innovation, and the symposium shined a spotlight on students, faculty, and local industry working to solve regional challenges.

The action-packed agenda featured distinguished representatives from the Navajo Nation, the White House, the US Department of Energy, and the US Department of the Interior; keynote messages from top-notch regional experts on water and energy; exciting presentations on local projects and initiatives; a poster session on projects led by students, faculty, and other scientists from the national laboratories; and a panel discussion in which students asked thought-provoking questions. Materials from the symposium are provided in the links below.

I-WEST is grateful to the 115+ participants who attended the symposium, particularly the outstanding students and faculty from Diné College, Navajo Technical University, and San Juan College. Thanks for making it such an impactful event!