Project Profile
IGERT: Systems Approach to Green Energy (SAGE)
University of California at Berkeley
Abstract
This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award will enable sustainable innovations in solar energy, biofuel, and energy storage systems by incorporating green chemistry principles into the research and development process. Sustainable solutions to our nation’s energy needs must consider the environmental, health and social impacts of new energy… more »
This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award will enable sustainable innovations in solar energy, biofuel, and energy storage systems by incorporating green chemistry principles into the research and development process. Sustainable solutions to our nation’s energy needs must consider the environmental, health and social impacts of new energy generation and storage. This award facilitates cross training of the next generation of scientists and engineers in the diverse disciplines necessary for the design of clean energy technologies.
Intellectual Merit: The development of energy technologies that simultaneously minimize environmental and health impacts will draw on the combined expertise of students and faculty in chemical sciences, engineering, environmental health, public policy, and business. Researchers in these areas will interact closely to reduce the use of toxic materials and maximize the environmental and social benefits of new technologies throughout their lifecycle.
Broader Impacts: This program will inform the national and global priorities, policies, and investments needed to develop a green energy future that maximizes the net environmental benefits of new technologies. Its interdisciplinary structure has the potential to create a wholly new intellectual space that is shared by investigators from the physical, social, and life sciences. Broadening participation activities include a suite of specific programs to increase the recruitment of underrepresented students and create K-12 education opportunities. This program aims to be a model for training the next generation of scientists, engineers, toxicologists, policy-makers, and business leaders to shape this country’s clean energy economy.
IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to establish new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, and to engage students in understanding the processes by which research is translated to innovations for societal benefit. « less
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