A cross-disciplinary team consisting of Dr. Matt Aldeman, associate professor of Technology, and Dr. Rebekka Darner, director of the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology and associate professor of biology education, will be hosting the 2022-2023 Research Speaker Series. This series, which is sponsored by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies along with the Department of Technology, will focus on sustainability and renewable energy.
The Energy for a Sustainable Future Seminar Series will highlight research taking place across multiple disciplines and institutions to create broad solutions to the complex societal problem of energy resilience. Speakers will be drawn from a diversity of disciplines, including genetics, agriculture, renewable energy, and technology. This seminar series will provide insight into how climate change challenges can be addressed.
Half of the series sessions will be offered virtually through Zoom. These online sessions will focus primarily on genetics and agriculture-related solutions to optimizing off-season pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), a high-yielding oilseed crop that holds the potential to yield up to 2 billion gallons of oil annually, thereby working toward USDA-NIFA’s 25-year goal of 50 billion gallons of biofuels. Meanwhile, the other half of the sessions will bring experts to campus where they will present in person on sustainable and renewable energy.
The series will also provide a venue for members of the University community to engage with each other and strengthen connections, both internal and external to the University. This type of engagement is vitally important to spark interdisciplinary connections, ideas, research, and partnerships between people from different disciplines and backgrounds.
