 |
|
Announcements – Opportunities – Zilberman Blog – Events – Articles 1. Seminar Series Part 10: Science Communications 2. EBI Co-PI Daniel Stolper Highlight 3. EBI Recharge Facility 4. EBI Business Incubator 5. Upscaling Innovations to Control Climate Change 6. 2024 Spring Site Visits 7. Cal Day 2024: Retrospective! 8. ECCLPs Annual Forum Symposium 9. Phys.org: Be kind to bees, build with bee bricks 10. TCD: Researchers achieve breakthrough with ‘Michael Jordan’ of clean energy: ‘A major triumph in material science’ 11. Yale Climate Connections: What is solar thermal? |
|
Announcements |
Seminar Series Part 10: “Science Communications” |
|
Don Moore, a professor in the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, joins Logan Roscoe to discuss his research on open science and how the replicability of studies is fundamental to the trustworthiness of science. |
The Energy & Biosciences Institute is excited to announce the tenth installment in this year’s “Science Communications” virtual seminar series! The goals of this series are to: Explore the ways in which science is communicated to different audiences Outline potential career paths for those interested in science communications Discuss what laymen can do to understand science in the media better
We hope you enjoy this new series and all that it will cover. Please share with students and anyone else that could be interested!
Please find the video at this link here or click the box below. |
|
|
EBI Co-PI Daniel Stolper Highlight |
|
In this article, Berkeley Research highlights a 2023 Heising-Simons Faculty Fellow named Daniel Stolper, who is also a Co-PI working on an EBI-Shell project, Silicate Rock Amendments for Reduced Methane Emissions and Increased Carbon Storage in Rice Fields.
In his role in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Stolper purifies and measures the chemical signatures from ancient wood—gaining insights into Earth’s climate history. More precisely, he can figure out how Earth’s humidity has changed over time.
“It turns out we do not know nearly as much about the history of relative humidity over Earth’s history as compared to other key climate variables like temperature and atmospheric composition,” Stolper says. “But this is an important measurement; how dry the world is influences many aspects of the biosphere.” Get further details by reading more! |
|
|
Opportunities |
|
|
|
|
Zilberman Blog |
Upscaling Innovations to Control Climate Change |
| EBI’s Executive Committee member David Zilberman is soon to come out with a new blog post on how we can upscale innovations to control climate change.
“The modern economy relies heavily on nonrenewable fossil fuels, which result in greenhouse gas emissions. Humanity’s challenge is to stop this addiction and decarbonize the economy. The bioeconomy, which uses modern technologies to produce alternative energy sources and sequester carbon, will play an important role in decarbonization, improving food security and preserving biodiversity,” he writes.
Find his piece soon on the EBI’s website, linked below! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Events |
2024 Spring Site Visits |
|
Members of the EBI-Shell Technical Steering Committee (TSC) met with investigators and their project teams the week of April 8, engaging with all personnel and learning more about research progress and accomplishments thus far. The meetings kicked off in Berkeley, followed by LBNL on Tuesday, and concluded at UIUC on Friday. It was a very successful and productive week. The TSC reported back that the projects are on track and making advancements, highlighting the many remarkable contributions generated by investigators, technical staff, postdocs and graduate students. We thank everyone involved for their time and helping to make the 2024 Spring Site Visits a memorable and dynamic event.
The EBI-Shell Technical Steering Committee includes: EBI Director, John Coates, EBI Deputy Director, Chris Rao, and from Shell — Energy Systems & Pathfinding Manager, David Kordonowy, Manager Materials Chemistry, Next Gen Breakthrough Research, Arjun Prakash and Principal Science Expert (Natural Based Solutions), Nicolas Tsesmetzis. |
|
Cal Day 2024: Retrospective! |
|
The EBI was excited to participate in Cal Day, which took place on Saturday, April 13. Cal Day is the annual open house where the UC Berkeley community welcomes neighbors, friends, and newly admitted students and families.
Although the weather wasn’t cooperative, a little chilly and drizzly, the guests were lively and fun and our exhibit welcomed over 1000 visitors! This event provides an exceptional opportunity to promote the EBI’s important work, research and mission.
A few quick stats! 2765 students checked-in with us (up from 2200 last year) 7917 total guests check-in with us (up from 6459 last year) (many more attended that didn’t check in) Accepted their offer of admission on Cal Day: 358 students! (up about 60 from last year) Info/Academic Hubs participation: 122 departments Unique Events/Activities/Open Houses (in the Cal Events app): 180 events Tours: We gave 72 general campus walking tours that served over 2400 visitors! Student Tabling: 200 student groups Cal Events app: 7,196 unique downloads
|
|
ECCLPs Annual Forum Symposium |
|
Keep an eye out for the ECCLPs online Annual Forum Symposium on May 3rd from 9am – 5pm! Unite with PK-16 students, educators, researchers, and community partners for a transformative journey. Dive into knowledge-sharing, professional development, and collaborative networking to empower change.
“Together, let’s champion climate literacy, justice, and action, turning challenges into opportunities for a greener future. Your journey begins here – where passion meets purpose!”
Register at the link below. |
|
|
Articles |
Phys.org: Be kind to bees, build with bee bricks |
With the bee population in alarming decline, researchers are looking for ways to preserve their environments and to minimize the effects of construction on natural bee habitats. One U.K. team has proposed creating a technology to meet bees in the middle: bee bricks.
The team explains that “The Bee Brick provides a nesting site for solitary bees, adapting and rethinking how existing building components are used. Made using locally sourced recycled materials, it offers the dual function of being a construction material that also promotes biodiversity.” Find out just how this can happen by reading more! |
|
|
TCD: Researchers achieve breakthrough with ‘Michael Jordan’ of clean energy: ‘A major triumph in material science’ |
It’s a success: researchers at Oxford PV have just developed the most efficient solar panels yet.
Oxford PV is a a solar cell technology company funded by the University of Oxford. Their solar panel achieved 28.6% conversion efficiency for its commercial-sized panels, which is well over the typical 16-24% efficiency of most commercial solar panels. Theoretically, the panels’ efficiency could even reach up to 40%.
Learn about the technology of these panels by reading more! |
|
|
Yale Climate Connections: What is solar thermal? |
While solar panels are usually understood to be the electricity-producing solar photovoltaic panels, solar thermal panels exist to do something else entirely: make our homes warm.
Gwe Gasco is a company that builds solar panels that convert solar to heat rather than electricity, which get transferred into buildings. “So you can catch that sun when it’s lower in the sky in the winter, and that just helps us with heat generation,” Gasco says.
Get further details on how this technology works by reading more! |
|
|
Follow the EBI on social media by clicking the icons below! |
|
|