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• How Solar Energy Became Cheap (and What it Means for the World)

  • When
    Wednesday, October 22, 2025
  •  
    5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
  • Location
    Madison Marriott South (formerly the Sheraton Madison Hotel), 706 John Nolen Drive, Madison WI 53713

  Register

  Registration IS NOW OPEN

  Last day to Register for this in-person event:  FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17.

  The Venue for this in-person event will be in the Military Ridge Room at the Madison Marriott South (formerly the Sheraton Madison Hotel), 706 John Nolen Drive. Parking is available at the hotel location.

  Reception with appetizers and cash bar 5:30 - 6:00, presentation with Q&A 6:00 - 7:30.  
  

  Registration fee for this event is $40 per person.  Be sure to register on time!

  Professor Gregory Nemet will present:  "How Solar Energy Became Cheap (and What it Means for the World)"

  
  

  Prof. Nemet's presentation will discuss the recent history of solar energy in the United States and around the world, with a focus on its sharply declining cost relative to other forms of energy. As nations around the world look for affordable energy sources to power economic growth while also meeting their formal commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, demand for solar and other green energy technologies is growing rapidly. Prof. Nemet will give several examples of governments whose energy policies point the way to a cleaner and greener future, and also discuss potential supply chain issues which may impact future development.

  Gregory Nemet is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. He holds the Salzwedel Distinguished Faculty Chair in Business and Regulation and is also a Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor. He recently served as Interim Director of the school.  He teaches courses in energy systems analysis, policy analysis, and international environmental policy. From 2013-18 he chaired the Energy Analysis and Policy Certificate program and continues to teach the introductory course for the program.

  Prof. Nemet leads research projects on energy systems, technological innovation, and climate policy. Much of the work is aimed at understanding the process of technological change and the ways in which public policy can affect it. His work combines empirical analysis of historical trends with forward-looking policy modeling to address global energy challenges. Recent work has focused on solar energy, carbon removal, social innovation, low energy demand, among others. He was named an Andrew Carnegie Fellow in 2017 and was awarded the inaugural World Citizen Prize in Environmental Performance by APPAM in 2019. He was a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 6th Assessment Report (2023).

  Prof. Nemet received his doctorate in energy and resources from the University of California, Berkeley. His A.B. is in geography and economics from Dartmouth College.

  
  

  • Payment must be received before the registration deadline. Neither registrations nor payments will be accepted after the registration deadline.
  • All registrations and payments for events must be made online with a credit card. We will not be able to accept checks as payment for event registrations.
  • Registrations are confirmed only if payment is received before the registration deadline.
  • Only those with confirmed registrations will be admitted to a program.

  MCFR members, share MCFR with your friends!
  

  Members are our best means of recruiting new members. We encourage members to invite guests to our programs.

  • You may invite as many guests as you like.

  • Each guest may attend one program per season.

  • To use the online system to register guests, you must register them when you register yourself. Otherwise contact us at: info@mcfr.info to have your guests registered.

  Cancelation and refund policy:

  • All cancellations must be in writing to info@mcfr.info.
  • Cancellations received before registration closes will be fully refunded.
  • We will not be able to refund registration fees for cancellations received after registration closes.

  If you have questions about registering, please see our "Registration Tips For Members" or contact us at info@mcfr.info.

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• Global Public Health Leadership, Past, Present, and Future

  • When
    Thursday, November 13, 2025
  •  
    5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
  • Location
    The venue for this in-person event will be announced soon

  Registration WILL BE OPEN SOON

  Last day to Register for this in-person event:  Friday, NOVEMber 7.

  This event is being presented in collaboration with the UW School of Public Health.

  The venue and registration fee for this in-person event will be announced soon.

  Reception with appetizers and cash bar 5:30 - 6:00, presentation with Q&A 6:00 - 7:30. 
  

  Be sure to register on time!

  Dr. Matt Kavanagh will present:  "Global Public Health Leadership - Past, Present, and Future"

  
  

  Dr. Kavanagh's presentation will discuss recent developments in the field of Global Public Health. As nations around the world look for leadership and guidance on how to best protect the health of their populations, leadership on issues of global public health is in flux. Dr. Kavanagh will give several examples of governments whose public health policies point the way to a healthier future, and also discuss  issues of policy coordination and information sharing which may impact future development.

  Matthew M. Kavanagh, PhD, is a political scientist working at the intersection of law, political economy, and global health to explore how international and national governance institutions function and how they produce inequality, particularly in pandemics. He is the Director of Georgetown University's Center for Global Health Policy & Politics, a cross-campus collaboration between the Georgetown Law Center and School of Health. He is also Associate Professor of Global Health and Visiting Professor of Law and directs the United Nations-Georgetown Collaborating Center on Inequality Policy, AIDS, and Pandemics. Dr. Kavanagh has served in a range of roles inside and outside academia, including at the United Nations and as head of policy for several NGOs in the US and Southern Africa.

  Dr. Kavanagh is the director of the Center for Global Health Policy and Politics at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., a cross-campus collaboration between the Georgetown School of Health and the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law as well as assistant professor of global health and visiting professor of law.

  Dr. Kavanagh holds a PhD in political science from the University of Pennsylvania, Certificate of Law from University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law, Masters in communities and policy from Harvard University, and BA from Vassar College.
  

  
  

  • Payment must be received before the registration deadline. Neither registrations nor payments will be accepted after the registration deadline.
  • All registrations and payments for events must be made online with a credit card. We will not be able to accept checks as payment for event registrations.
  • Registrations are confirmed only if payment is received before the registration deadline.
  • Only those with confirmed registrations will be admitted to a program.

  MCFR members, share MCFR with your friends!
  

  Members are our best means of recruiting new members. We encourage members to invite guests to our programs.

  • You may invite as many guests as you like.

  • Each guest may attend one program per season.

  • To use the online system to register guests, you must register them when you register yourself. Otherwise contact us at: info@mcfr.info to have your guests registered.

  Cancelation and refund policy:

  • All cancellations must be in writing to info@mcfr.info.
  • Cancellations received before registration closes will be fully refunded.
  • We will not be able to refund registration fees for cancellations received after registration closes.

  If you have questions about registering, please see our "Registration Tips For Members" or contact us at info@mcfr.info.

  Show details