Industry & Materials Decarbonization Symposium Program Announced
We’re pleased to share the preliminary agenda for the UC Davis Industry & Materials Decarbonization Symposium, taking place April 16 at the UC Davis Conference Center. The program brings together leaders from industry, government, and research to examine challenges and opportunities in decarbonizing industrial systems and materials production.
Confirmed participants include representatives from the California Energy Commission (CEC), California Air Resources Board (CARB), Caltrans, and the California Department of General Services (DGS). Participating companies include Honda, Rondo Energy, Cleaver-Brooks, and Ash Grove Cement. Nonprofit research and policy organizations include RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Clean Air Task Force, alongside academic researchers advancing work across the industrial energy systems and materials decarbonization landscape.
Explore the program and register to join the discussion. The event is free, but advance registration is required.
Join the IAW FlexHub Launch Event – April 17
Following the UC Davis Industry and Materials Decarbonization Symposium on April 16, UC Davis will host the launch of the Industrial, Agriculture, and Water Load Flexibility Hub (IAW FlexHub) on April 17 at the UC Davis Conference Center. Developed by Momentum with research partners including UC Davis, EPRI, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the new statewide initiative advances scalable load flexibility technologies in the industrial, agricultural, and water sectors. Funded by the California Energy Commission through the EPIC program, the Hub will support research, demonstration projects, and stakeholder collaboration to accelerate deployment of grid-interactive flexible load solutions across California.
CLTC Featured in International Lighting Industry Publication
CLTC Director Jae Yong Suk was recently interviewed for the March issue of Ciluz, a Chilean lighting industry magazine, where he discussed the evolution of architectural lighting and the next frontier beyond LEDs. The interview highlights CLTC’s role in advancing energy-efficient lighting technologies and shaping standards such as California’s Title 24, while also exploring emerging research on human-centric lighting and the relationship between light, health, and building performance.
Webinar: Characterizing Ozone Emissions from GUV222 Air Disinfection Devices
Researchers from WCEC and the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center will present findings from a new white paper examining ozone generation from ceiling-mounted 222 nanometer germicidal ultraviolet (GUV222) air disinfection systems. The study evaluates indoor air quality impacts in a classroom setting and compares observed ozone concentrations with the outdoor-air-only scenario defined in ASHRAE Standard 241. The work was commissioned to inform regulatory understanding of emerging air cleaning technologies and identify remaining research gaps related to GUV222 deployment.
Journal Highlights UC Davis Research on Heat Pump Adoption
CIBSE Journal, the publication of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, recently featured UC Davis research on barriers to scaling heat pump technologies. The article highlights work presented at ASHRAE led by WCEC Market Transformation Research Program Director Sarah Outcault that examines social, policy, and market factors that slow adoption of promising heat pump systems. The research identifies gaps in standards, workforce capacity, and consumer awareness that affect deployment of multi-function heat pump technologies and other advanced systems.
UCPRC Lab2Slab Field Day and Open House – April 23
The UC Pavement Research Center will host its Lab2Slab Field Day and Open House on April 23 at UC Davis as part of the 2026 California Concrete Pavement Conference. The event will feature live demonstrations and test cell construction showcasing emerging concrete materials, including supplementary cementitious materials derived from recycled glass and engineered wood ash designed to improve durability while reducing embodied carbon. Participants will also see demonstrations of new field evaluation tools and construction practices used to assess concrete performance in real-world conditions.
Study Examines Tradeoffs Between Sustainability and Resident Experience in Student Housing
A new UC Davis study published in Results in Engineering examines how environmental performance and resident experience interact across different student housing models. The research compares several UC Davis housing communities and introduces a “Sustainability–Comfort Balance Indicator” to evaluate tradeoffs between environmental impact and resident satisfaction. Findings suggest that social interaction, shared amenities, and community design play a major role in overall housing satisfaction, even in highly efficient buildings.
Missed a Seminar? Watch It Now
If you couldn’t join us for our recent Energy Seminar Series, Materials Decarbonization, or Demand Flex events, you can now watch them online! Catch up on this and other recent seminars anytime!