Achievement

We instituted an AU-IGERT interdisciplinary seminar series that brought several leading experts in the areas of renewable energy to the Auburn campus. These seminars were hosted at different departments to further integrate the students across disciplines. The speakers ranged from industrial experts (Roy West, KiOR Corporation and Tom Johnson, Alabama Power) through national laboratory representatives (Tony Wu, DOE National Carbon Capture Center), to distinguished academic researchers like Joan Brennecke (University of Notre Dame, member of the National Academy of Engineering), George Huber (University of Wisconsin), Nimir Elbashir (Texas A&M University at Qatar), and Jixun Zhang (Utah State University). These external speakers provided the trainees and associates with significant breadth and depth of the field of alternative energy. We also held several professional development workshops for the trainees, which are described in more detail in the Professional Skills section.