The Wilkes Climate Center held their fourth annual climate summit on May 13, 2026.

Climate leaders, innovators, students and community members gathered at the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House to catalyze interdisciplinary research and solutions to climate change.During the summit, there were 60 student presenters, 10 lightning talk presentations, 9 climate prize finalists from around the globe and over 350 attendees. 

This year, the outstanding student research through the Wilkes Scholars Program was on full display. Through this program, students are funded $2,500 per semester for part-time research and $7,000 for full-time research during the summer. Since the program began in 2024, 89 students have been funded to complete research ranging from the College of Health to the Humanities to Science. Whether it be studies on the cost and efficiency of wall assemblies or how air pollution impacts the various demographics of the Salt Lake Valley, these student projects were timely, specific, and thorough, addressing climate concerns at the state and local level. 

Often, climate policy and research is broad and difficult to tackle; in contrast, these student research projects focused on specific achievable goals and climate insights. The main floor was packed with their corresponding research posters and students had the opportunity to share their work.

Aside from poster presentations, 10 students gave "lightning talks" about their research. The format is rapid-fire, with students having to synthesize a process that may have taken months or even years into three minutes. In the end, four students were chosen as the best presenters and winners of cash prizes. 

Evan Klasnic, one of the four winners, investigated how we can protect residents from extreme heat and PM 2.5. PM 2.5 are particulates, like soot or dust, which are less than 2.5 micrometers and are easily absorbed by the lungs. Klasnic's Wilkes funding allowed him to continue working in the same lab as the previous summer, this time on an entirely new project involving qualitative data and city policy. He was involved at every stage, from writing the proposal and shaping the research question to the ongoing paper writing. "This experience will be monumental as I pursue a master's in Urban and Regional Planning after graduation," Klasnic said.

Other winners included Baylee Olds, who studied how forest management strategies could increase the retention of our snowpack and therefore minimize wildfire risk in the summer. 

Harrison LeTourneau conducted a project which tracks methane emissions in live time using sophisticated sensors attached to a vehicle, which can help determine the point sources of the highly potent greenhouse gas. Sydney Smith looked at how changes in evaporation from Great Salt Lake could impact the summer monsoon. Understanding these variables is vital to updating our weather forecasting models. 

Another keystone of the summit is the Climate Prize Competition. Every year, companies with climate solutions apply from around the world to compete for a grand prize of $250,000. This year, there were 504 applications. Around 22% of the applications were from the US and the remaining 78% were international. In the end, nine finalists were chosen to present during the summit: Agros from Singapore, ucrop.it from Delaware, Fabumin from Israel, Gyre Energy from the United Kingdom, Solidec from Texas, Solid Sky from Michigan, UnBOXED from New York, WAS Company from Mexico and WoodSyn from Arizona.