Get ready for the forum
Registration
Registration is $100 and covers breakfast and lunch both days. If the cost of registration is prohibitive, contact bmalotky@uwyo.edu for a discount.
register nowLodging
We have a limited room block at the Hilton for $109 a night. Please make your booking by March 16th, 2026.
Sponsorship
We are currently looking for sponsors to support this event. Click below to learn more about our sponsorship tiers and how you can help.
Draft Agenda
Day 1 - April 13, 2026
Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center | 222 S 22nd St. Laramie, WY 82070
8:00-9:00am: Breakfast and Registration
9:00-9:20am: Welcome
Why Nuclear and Why Wyoming?
- Sean Schaub, Nuclear Industry Coordinator, Wyoming Energy Authority
- Tara Righetti, Co-director, Nuclear Energy Research Center, University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources
9:20-9:30am: Story Circle
What is a formative memory or experience you have around nuclear?
9:30-10:30am: Presentation + Q&A
Nuclear history and legacies
- Jonathan Grams, Project Researcher, Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear, Idaho National Laboratory
10:30-10:45am: Break
10:45-12:00pm: Presentation + Q&A
Radiation and Nuclear Fuel Cycle Overview
- Liane Moreau, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
12:00-1:00pm: Lunch
1:00-2:00pm: Presentations + Q&A
Uranium Milling and Mining: State of the industry and state regulation
- Matthew Gili, President, Ur-Energy
- Brandi O'Brien, Land Quality Administrator, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
2:00-3:00pm: Panel + Q&A
Economic development opportunities across and beyond the fuel cycle
- Brent Berg, Senior Vice President, US Operations, Uranium Energy Corp
- (invited) BWX Technologies
- Rita Meyer, CEO, Wyoming Energy Futures
- Mike Wandler, President, L&H Industrial
3:00-4:00pm: Presentation + Panel
High Level Waste: Understanding the regulatory ecosystem
- Moderator: Tara Righetti, Co-director, Nuclear Energy Research Center, University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources
- Jenny Staeben, Industrial Siting Administrator, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
- Christina England, Attorney-Advisor, US Department of Energy
4:00-4:30pm: Panel
Collaborating with Communities: A preview of Day 2 discussions on engagement and planning
4:30-6:30pm: Public Reception and "Science Fair"
Explore hands-on, interactive learning opportunities about the nuclear fuel cycle while enjoying appetizers and a cash bar. Activities include the Idaho National Lab Nuclear Science Trailer and more. This event does not require forum registration to attend.
Optional: Dinner at Altitude Chophouse & Brewery
320 S 2nd St, Laramie, WY 82070 | Back room reserved under "Nuclear Forum"
Starting at 6:30pm and continuing through the evening, connect with other forum attendees and keep the conversation going with a buy-your-own dinner at Altitude Chophouse & Brewery in downtown Laramie.
Day 2 - April 14, 2026
Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center | 222 S 22nd St. Laramie, WY 82070
8:00-9:00am: Breakfast
9:00-12:00pm: Concurrent workshop sessions - Social legitimacy and community collaboration
This multi-part morning session will focus on why building social legitimacy is critical to successful development and explore a variety of strategies and frameworks for facilitating genuine community engagement. Topics include: growing institutional capacity; understanding and aligning with community culture and values; and building trust through transparency, opportunities for participation, and procedural fairness. The morning will begin with brief kickoff presentations, then participants will self-select into facilitated small groups tasked with imagining what this could look like in their communities and what steps it would take to get there. These strategies should be equally useful to industries interested in community engagement, elected officials, and community organizations or citizens groups. Because these sessions will be driven by small-group discussions, please come prepared to participate.
12:00pm-1:00pm: Lunch
1:00-3:00pm: Concurrent workshop sessions - Planning for responsible economic development
These afternoon sessions will address key considerations for after a community has decided to pursue, or be open to, development. It will include attention to what industry might provide to communities as well as what communities might provide to industry. Topics include: workforce development; assessing what a community needs to offset impacts and secure long term benefits from development; and using community benefits plans and agreements as a tool to meet those needs. The sessions will begin with brief kickoff presentations, then participants will self-select into facilitated small groups tasked with imagining what this could look like in their communities and what steps it would take to get there. Because these sessions will be driven by small-group discussions, please come prepared to participate.
3:00-3:45pm: Takeaways panel and final reflection
4:00-6:00pm: Joint reception with the School of Energy Resources Rocky Mountain Land and Resource Management Conference
The Student Chapter for Energy Resources will host a joint networking reception, which will include a book signing by the authors of Creative Destruction, David Prescott and Michael Ashley, and a raffle to support the student club.
Event website and press release.
