Open and accessible programming
The Center for Energy and the Built Environment (CEBE) hosts webinars, public events, workshops, and applied learning programs that connect students, professionals, policymakers, industry leaders, and regional partners around practical questions in energy, infrastructure, buildings, sustainability, and community development. Our programming is designed to bridge theory and practice by fostering meaningful dialogue, highlighting emerging challenges and opportunities, and creating pathways for collaboration across sectors. Through panel discussions, speaker series, community partnerships, and hands-on student engagement opportunities, CEBE aims to serve as a regional hub for thoughtful, solutions-oriented conversations about the future of the built environment and energy systems.
We welcome opportunities to collaborate with organizations, municipalities, companies, nonprofits, and community groups interested in developing programming, sponsoring events, supporting student engagement, or partnering on shared initiatives. To explore collaboration opportunities, please contact Associate Director Max Clark at mclark@washjeff.edu .
Upcoming programs
Join Us for New Horizons: Infrastructure, Energy, and Data in the Coming Decade!
The next decade will reshape the Pittsburgh region as data and AI growth, rising energy demand, and infrastructure changes intersect.
Rapid growth in data and artificial intelligence, rising energy demand, aging infrastructure, new technologies, and changing patterns of development are creating challenges, and opportunities that will require new thinking across sectors.
New Horizons will bring together leaders from government, industry, higher education, utilities, engineering, economic development, and communities to explore the infrastructure decisions that will define the coming decade. Keynote address will be given by Christina Cassotis, Chief Executive Officer of the Allegheny County Airport Authority.
Join us for a day of conversation about what we build, how we power it, how we pay for it, and how we prepare our communities for what comes next.
New Horizons is free and open to the public. A full agenda will be available soon.
New Horizons Agenda & Panelists
Time - Session
8:00 AM - Registration & Breakfast
9:00 AM - Setting the Stage: Infrastructure and Regional Business Attraction
Infrastructure capacity increasingly determines which regions can compete for major investment, and Southwestern Pennsylvania is being evaluated on that basis right now. This panel brings together state economic development, regional business leadership, transportation planning, and private development to discuss what site selectors and investors actually look for, where the region is positioned well, and where the gaps are. The conversation is meant to give attendees a shared picture of the competitive landscape before the day moves into specific challenges and solutions.
9:55 AM - Current Challenges with Infrastructure
A practitioner-level look at what is slowing regional infrastructure delivery: aging systems, permitting and approval timelines, interconnection and capital constraints, and workforce capacity. Panelists from heavy civil construction, electric utility operations, and commercial real estate discuss the obstacles they encounter on active projects and what has actually worked to move projects forward. The emphasis is on candid, specific experience rather than general advocacy for more spending.
10:50 AM - Data Center Development & Governance
Data centers are reshaping regional energy demand, land use, water resources, and local fiscal capacity faster than most planning and governance frameworks can absorb. Drawing on CEBE's peer-reviewed research on data centers and local governance, this session examines what the growth means for Pennsylvania communities and what local and state decision-makers can do to negotiate from a position of information rather than reaction. It is a direct look at the tradeoffs, including what both development advocates and opposition groups tend to get wrong.
11:30 AM - Meeting the Energy Demand of the Decade
Regional energy demand is growing faster than most planning assumptions accounted for, and no single resource closes the gap. This panel brings a range of energy resources and the workforce that builds them into the same conversation to examine what each can realistically deliver, on what timeline, and at what cost. Attendees leave with a clearer sense of the buildout ahead and the constraints that will shape it.
12:10 PM: Keynote: Christina Cassotis, CEO Allegheny County Airport Authority
Keynote Speaker
Christina Cassotis
CEO, Allegheny County Airport Authority
Christina Cassotis is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, operating Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and Allegheny County Airport (AGC).
Past programs and events
August 12, 2026
Built to Last? Understanding America's School Building Crisis
This free webinar explores the condition of America's K-12 school buildings and the challenges facing school infrastructure. Hear from nationally recognized experts Mary Filardo, Tim Shrom, and Dr. Corey Young as they examine school facilities through federal, state, and research perspectives, followed by a moderated discussion on what these findings mean for districts, policymakers, and communities. Register today to reserve your spot.
Webinar archive
