Wilkes Center + Université Côte d’Azur Conference
Nice, France - May 27, 2026
On May 27, 2026, Wilkes Center staff participated in a conference at the University of Côte d’Azur in Nice, France.
The conference brought together faculty and researchers from the University of Utah and the Université Côte d'Azur (UniCA) to discuss ongoing international research partnership initiatives, including on sustainability, environmental protection, and community well-being related to the Winter Olympic Games.
Programme
9:30 AM – Welcome
9:45 AM – Presentation of the IdEx–Utah collaboration
Saranne Comel, Université Côte d'Azur
10:00 AM – Presentation of the EMMA project, in collaboration with the “Water in the Territories of the Maritime Alps ” Partnership Chair
Isabelle La Jeunesse, Université Côte d'Azur
10:15 AM – Accelerating Sustainability Innovation: From Ideas to Ecosystems
Fielding Norton, Managing Director, Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy
11:15 AM – Presentation of the Wilkes Center research program and its work on air quality
John Lin, Scientific Director, Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy
12:15 PM – Presentations of the winning projects from the 2026 Wilkes 2026 Climate Solutions Hackathon
- 2nd Place (Tied): Turning Data Centers Into Community Assets -- Caleb Black (graduate, electrical and computer engineering)
- 2nd Place (Tied): Slow Your Scroll -- Isabella DeBoer (undergraduate, computer science), Delia Leonard (undergraduate, computer science)
- 3rd Place: VoltVault -- Raphaël Meyer (graduate, geography – Université Côte d’Azur)
12:30 PM – Closing