MEDIA RELEASE

Media Contact: Angelique Rodrigues

Communications Associate/Faculty of Arts
Ph: 780 299 9643 Email: afr@ualberta.ca

What comes after oil in Alberta?

UAlberta Arts research group hosts free, public roundtable Aug. 21; tasks Edmontonians with
imagining a life after oil
August 13, 2015 Oil makes the world go round, but for how long? After 150 years of drilling, its unclear how
much is left, and the negative effects of our reliance on this fossil fuel grow every day.
Imre Szeman, UAlbertas Canada Research Chair in Cultural Studies, says we dont yet know what a life after oil
might look like in Alberta. But its time to start talking about it.
We cannot carry on using and consuming, with no consequences, says Szeman, who serves as principal
investigator for the UAlberta-led After Oil research group. It will take a global, social transition to reach a new
culture after oil, but the key is to start the conversation.
With that in mind, the University of Albertas Petrocultures research group, in connection with the Kule Institute
for Advanced Study (KIAS) and the Faculty of Arts, is hosting After Oil a free, public roundtable at the Art Gallery
of Alberta on Aug. 21. In the wake of the provinces recent dramatic change in government, this roundtable
provides an opportunity to pose questions about the deeper significance of oil for the shape and character of
Alberta.
After Oil will be moderated by ATB Financials Chief economist Todd Hirsch, and led by New York University
Professor Jennifer Jacquet, an environmental social scientist. Eddy Isaacs, CEO of Alberta Innovates Energy and
Environment Solutions, will join the panel, as well as Simon OByrne of Stantec. Each panelist will have a chance to
respond before the discussion is opened up to the audience.
Its an opportunity to approach this topic from a social sciences standpoint, says Szeman. And, its time to hear
what the public thinks we might do to imagine life after oil in Alberta.
After Oil will take place in the Art Gallery of Albertas Ledcor Theatre from 7 p.m. 9 p.m. on August 21, 2015.
Appetizers will be served and a book signing by Jennifer Jacquet will follow the roundtable. Seating is limited and
guests are asked to RSVP by visiting the After Oil Public Roundtable website at http://afteroil.ca/what-comes-
after-oil/.

Participants: Host: Sheena Wilson (Petrocultures, University of Alberta), Moderator: Todd Hirsch (Chief Economist,
ATB Financial) Guest Speaker: Jennifer Jacquet (Environmental Studies, New York University)

Respondents: Simon OByrne (Vice-President, Urban Planning, Stantec), Eddy Isaacs (Chief Executive Officer,
Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions), Imre Szeman (Canada Research Chair in Cultural Studies
University of Alberta), Trevor Harrison (Director, Parkland Institute, University of Alberta)

Media are invited to attend the event. To request an interview with Imre
Szeman in advance, please contact Angelique Rodrigues at afr@ualberta.ca or
780 299 9643.

BACKGROUND: Read the full Faculty of Arts story on After Oil here: https://uofa.ualberta.ca/arts/faculty-
news/2015/august/what-comes-after-oil-in-alberta. The After Oil roundtable is part of a larger After Oil School,
which will see more than 35 academics from around the world come together at the University of Alberta from
Aug. 19 - 22 to research and discuss the economic, political and sociological impacts of transitioning to life after oil.
The energy humanities research group will produce a policy brief and paper, both of which will be available to
media and the public on the After Oil website following the conference.
After Oil: Explorations and Experiments in the Future of Energy, Culture and Society is a collaborative,
interdisciplinary research partnership designed to explore critically and creatively the social, cultural and
political changes necessary to facilitate a full-scale transition from fossil fuels to new forms of energy. The
international, interdisciplinary research team of After Oil brings together leading researchers and its partners
include the Durham Energy Institute and the Center for Energy and Environment.
BIOS:
Todd Hirsch is ATB Financial's Chief Economist. He is the author of The Boiling Frog Dilemma: Saving Canada from
Economic Decline and holds a BS Honours and an MA in Economics from the University of Alberta. For over 20 years he
has worked as an economist at Canadian Pacific Railway, the Canada West Foundation and the Bank of Canada. Hirsch
provides economic commentary for several Canadian media outlets and is a regular columnist for the Globe and Mail.
Jennifer Jacquet is the author of Is Shame Necessary? New Uses for an Old Tool, which explores the social nature of
shame and how it can be used to promote large-scale political change and social reform. Jacquet is an Assistant
Professor at NYU's Department of Environmental Studies. Her research focuses on the social science of cooperation
dilemmas, with specific interests in overfishing and climate change. She is also the author of more than 20 scientific
publications. Jacquets research has been covered internationally.
Eddy Isaacs is CEO of Alberta Innovates -- Energy & Environment Solutions (AI-EES) with responsibility for Albertas
strategic directions and technology investments in energy technologies, renewables and emerging technologies, and
water and environmental management. Isaacs has been instrumental in promoting innovation in energy and
environment across Canada and has served as co-chair of the Energy Technology Working Group of the Canadian Council
of Energy Ministers. He is regularly called upon to provide his expert opinion and insight into Albertas future in energy
and environment and holds a PhD from the University of Alberta and a BSc from McGill University.
Imre Szeman is Canada Research Chair in Cultural Studies and Professor of English, Film Studies and Sociology at the
University of Alberta. He conducts research on, and teaches in, the areas of energy and environmental studies, social and
cultural theory, globalization and nationalism, and Canadian studies. Current projects include: a book on the cultural
politics of oil; an edited collection on energy, history and politics; and a major companion to critical and cultural theory.
Szeman is the recipient of the Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award (2003), the Scotiabank-AUCC Award for Excellence
in Internationalization (2004) and a Killam Annual Professorship (2013).
Sheena Wilson is a professor of cultural studies and co-director of the Petrocultures Research Group at the University of
Alberta. For the last decade, her work and research has focused on energy humanities, resource extraction economy
impact, analyzing how we are collectively imagining new ways of being in relationship to energy and the environment,
and the wider Albertan and Canadian public. In the fall of 2012 she co-hosted (with Imre Szeman) the first international
Petrocultures conference on the cultural impacts of oil.
Trevor Harrison is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Lethbridge and Director of Parkland Institute, a research
network housed on the University of Alberta campus. He is best known for his studies in political sociology, political
economy and public policy. He is the author, co-author or co-editor of nine books, numerous journal articles and book
chapters, and a frequent contributor to public media.
Simon OByrne is an award-winning urban planner and designer and is Vice President of Stantecs Urban Planning. As a
planning expert, he is both frequently quoted in North America media and is a sought-after public speaker. Simon has led
multi-disciplinary design teams in the planning and successful delivery of large, complex and politically charged projects.
His experience ranges from intensive urban revitalization redevelopments, from the Downtown Arena and
Entertainment District, to redevelopment of the Alberta Legislature Grounds, and the Hunts Point Plan, Bronx, New York.