We had a terrific ELS symposium at Santa Clara with faculty and outside experts on “Technology and the Environment.”  Expertly organized by ELS Co-President Cynthia Yuan, the panel of faculty and experts included SCU Law Professors Dorothy Glancy and Catherine Sandoval, Professor and children’s rights advocate Tom Nazario of USF Law School, Patent Attorney and Monterey Bay Air Resources District Hearing Board Chair Michael Guth, and SCU Alum and Cal Public Utilities Commission staffer Jamie Ormond.  [Unfortunately, we did not get a group picture, and I only caught Professor Sandoval and part of the audience in these images.  Apologies to all others present.]

Presentations focused on the value of enhanced wireless communications infrastructure for under-served populations, especially as a means for enhancing environmental disaster response (Sandoval), the serious environmental harms to local populations (especially children) and the environment caused by electronic waste exports to the developing world, especially Africa and Asia (Nazario), questions as to the potential environmental benefits and costs of new technologies such as autonomous vehicles (Glancy), ongoing challenges and needs to address the environmental risks of “old” technologies (such traditional power plants), and opportunities for use of technology in reducing the carbon footprint of energy use (Ormond).  Overall, a really interesting set of discussions and questions and hopefully also inspirational for the students who attended.