The 6th Annual CSU Spur Water in the West Symposium, occurring Nov. 9 in Denver, will bring participants together to explore artificial intelligence, demographic trends, and other factors that will be critical in addressing the region’s water challenges and crafting responses within agriculture, the outdoor industry, and other sectors.

 “Next Gen Water” is the overarching theme for an event that will take place in CSU Spur’s Hydro building and will examine issues relating to the workforce, leadership and water management.

“This year’s speakers are experts in everything from artificial intelligence to managing workforce needs, and all are focused on understanding the trends and tools that will help us respond to the region’s water challenges,” said Jocelyn Hittle, the CSU System’s associate vice chancellor for CSU Spur and special projects. “The Symposium this year has special significance because it will take place for the first time at CSU Spur, a campus built specifically to bring people together to seek solutions related to water, food, sustainability, and health.”

The Symposium on Thursday, Nov. 9, will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the CSU Spur Hydro building, and it will be preceded by an opening reception the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 8.

Joseph Fuller, a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School, will give an opening keynote on Nov. 9 examining themes related to the emergence of a next-gen workforce that will increasingly be comprised of workers from generations Z (birth years from 1997-2012) and Alpha (birth years around 2013 and later). Lou DiLorenzo, principal at Deloitte Consulting, will offer a second keynote on artificial intelligence.

Panel discussions will examine emerging technologies, including AI, as well as the demographic and climate realities confronting a region in which water resources are oversubscribed and unpredictable. These include sessions on food and agriculture, the outdoor industry, education and workforce, and forces shaping the next generation.

Program details and registration information for the 2023 Water in the West Symposium are available at csuspur.org/witw.  

This is the sixth annual symposium and the first to take place since construction of the three-building CSU Spur campus concluded in January with completion of the Hydro building. Hittle described how the event reflects the mission of a campus that is meant to convene experts, showcase research, and engage students and the broader community in real-world problem solving.

“We welcome the CSU community and others from across the West for a day that will combine insightful speakers and solutions-oriented conversations with the opportunity to build new, and perhaps unexpected, connections,” Hittle said.