Stanford Energy

Stanford ENERGY newsletter is out! Rod Ewing New polymers Air pollution and race AI and materials discovery Check it out and subscribe for free. (link to new issue in comments) Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Russ Altman Stanford University School of Engineering SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford Online

New AI approach accelerates targeted materials discovery and sets the stage for self-driving experiments The method could lead to the development of new materials with tailored properties, with potential applications in fields such as #climate change, quantum #computing and drug design. Scientists have developed an AI-based method that helps gather data more efficiently in the search for new materials, allowing researchers to navigate complex design challenges with greater precision and speed. The ability to design materials with specific catalytic properties, for example, could improve chemical processes that lead to more efficient and sustainable ways to manufacture goods and materials, reducing #energy consumption and waste. In manufacturing, new materials could enhance processes such as 3D printing, allowing for more precise and sustainable production. Link to full news article is in comments. #EnergyEfficiency #GreenComputing

Rod Ewing, geoscientist and nuclear security expert, has died #Ewing, the Frank Stanton Professor in Nuclear Security and a professor in the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences in the @StanfordDoerr School of Sustainability, died July 13, 2024. He was 77. His research spanned mineralogy, geochemistry, materials science, #nuclear materials, physics, and chemistry, leading to the development of techniques to predict the long-term behavior of materials used in radioactive #waste disposal. Ewing made fundamental contributions to understanding the effects of radiation on minerals and nuclear materials in his more than 50-year career. He served two years in the Army, with seven months in Vietnam as an interpreter and interrogator. “I was against the war,” Ewing recently told a reporter. "I just didn’t feel right about stepping out of line and sending the next guy.” Over time, he found purpose in applying his knowledge to the challenge of improving nuclear waste management. Some experts think more nuclear power will be needed to combat climate change. “Even without an expansion of nuclear power, the amounts of waste already generated for which there is no place to put it are huge,” Ewing said. “I think there is real urgency to solve this problem, but there is no political drive.” One of Ewing's former postdoctoral fellows, François Diaz-Maurin, reflected on how Ewing influenced his career in a personal tribute in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: “I would not be who I am today without Rod’s shepherding, good advice, and, most important, trust in me and my abilities. Rod has been an intellectual North star; I wish every young professional could have a mentor of the quality and kindness of Rod Ewing.” Ewing is survived by his wife, Helga Fuchs; a son and daughter, Travis and Allison; a stepdaughter, Franziska; and four grandchildren, Marla and Luca in Berlin, Germany, and Kalea and Malina in Maryland. He is also survived by his 99-year-old mother Mary Ewing; his brother, Gary; his sister, Deborah; many nephews, nieces, and cousins; and a large cohort of previous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. (link to full article below)

Why the experts should answer to the amateurs We need #experts to manage complex technologies and solve hard problems like #climate change,but they need to be accountable to non-experts, says Jonathan Bendor in new Stanford University Graduate School of Business study. Bendor brings all these ideas together in his discussion of climate change. Lawmakers and individuals who are not climate scientists have to figure out what to do and whom to listen to. That’s where meritocratic hierarchy comes in. Bendor acknowledges that some organizations are not based primarily on merit, but in fields with lots of accurate, relevant data — think baseball, drug development, or tech — there is a clear track record of judging successes and failures. That’s true of climate science, he says. If climate models are consistently wrong, people should stop listening to the scientists who built them. This dynamic is already built into traditional markets: If people don’t like a product, they’ll stop buying it. There’s no easy or ideal solution to climate change, so we have to start looking for the best possible answer. Rather than bemoaning the fact that amateurs will make that decision, Bendor argues, we should acknowledge this is an inherent feature of democracy — one that includes uninformed leaders, #policymakers, and voters. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In elevating oversight over specialized knowledge, Bendor believes we’re more likely to end up with an optimal (though not ideal) answer. Link to news in comments below.

More Black Americans die from effects of air pollution A new study reveals social factors that increase the risk of dying from air pollution and finds stark racial disparities. While PM2.5 levels have decreased dramatically since Air quality throughout the U.S. has improved dramatically over the last few decades, thanks in large part to regulations such as the Clean Air Act. Black Americans experienced the largest decline, yet were still the highest among all groups. These relative trends were consistent throughout the country. In 96.6% of counties, Black Americans had the highest PM2.5-attributable mortality. Background: Most particles form in the atmosphere as a result of complex reactions of chemicals such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are pollutants emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles. Link to news below. #AirPollution #ParticulateMatter #race

The future of polymers with Alberto Salleo (podcast) The materials scientist studies extremely long molecules known as polymers. Salleo says they often get a bad rap, but new-age organic #polymers could be a game-changer for energy-efficient #computing and #electronics. These polymers can conduct electricity, so they're useful in electronics. They might be useful for interacting with human tissue for prostheses and other electronic sensors. And they can form the basis for very low energy computing, or #neuromorphic computers. "The ions that travel in our devices are protons and those are really light and they don't consume a lot of energy when they move," said Salleo. Typical electronic device goes from off to on, and there's a huge difference between these two states. "You have to spend quite a bit of energy to take an electron from off to on. And ours actually operate, kind of, from a little bit on, more on, a little bit less on. So they're closer to equilibrium and you just kind of tweak them slightly away from equilibrium," he said. "And that's why I think they use less energy." Listen to or watch the new episode of Russ Altman's "The Future of Everything" at Stanford University School of Engineering. (link below) #energyefficiency

Stanford ENERGY newsletter is out! This week's stories: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory's methods in #ultrafast science produce sharper molecular movies The atomic microscope allows scientists to peer into the behavior of molecules and atoms at ultrafast speeds and gain insights into processes that are key to #energy solutions and new materials, among other things. Stanford University Impact Founder awards fuel graduates’ high-impact ventures Five graduates win #Ecopreneurship awards from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability partnership. How startup Molten Industries turns methane into #graphite and clean #hydrogen Stanford spinout's process utilizes a high-temperature #methane cracking process powered by renewable electricity. Sasankh Munukutla, co-founder with James Kanoff of startup Terradot, harnesses Earth’s natural #CO2 removal process Terradot won TomKat Center Innovation Transfer and Stanford Impact Founder awards (see above) when Sasankh and Kanoff were at #Stanford. Molten seeks to accelerate gigaton-scale carbon dioxide removal. C3E Women in Clean Energy student poster competition Opportunity to participate in #C3E Symposium & Awards, which will be held at Stanford this Nov. 13. Poster application deadline is August 18. Interested in in sustainable, affordable, reliable energy for all? Link to newsletter online included below. Check it out and subscribe for free.

Stanford University Impact Founder awards fuel graduates’ high-impact ventures Five graduates win #Ecopreneurship awards from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability partnership. Their ventures seek to improve solar, batteries, sanitation, and #heating. Meghan Wood, MBA/MS Environment & Resources ’24, startup is democratizing residential #solar for Americans traditionally overlooked by electrification initiatives. Sankalp Banerjee, MBA/MS Environment & Resources ’24, startup Insitu Energy is "helping transition traditional assets, sites, and energy infrastructure into cleaner applications." Joseph Kao, Ph.D., MS ’24, venture CircuBat seeks to revolutionize second-life #batteries by unleashing reliability through innovative testing. Brandon Clark, PhD ’24, startup Recovered Potential seeks to make sanitation sustainable, presumably starting with #nitrogen recovery from #wastewater. Raj Tilwa, MBA ’24, venture Focal wants to revolutionize and decarbonize how we keep ourselves warm indoors. Congratulations to all five of you, and best of luck in these worthy endeavors! Link to news story at GSB in comments below. These five winners are the second group of four groups.

SLAC researchers pioneer new methods in ultrafast science for sharper molecular movies SLAC’s “electron camera” can reveal some of nature’s ultrafast processes. Now, researchers across the lab have collaborated to achieve improvements to that tool to make its molecular movies even sharper, keeping SLAC at the forefront of pioneering tools for ultrafast science. The result is a molecular movie that allows scientists to peer into the behavior of molecules and atoms at ultrafast speeds and gain insights into processes that are key to energy solutions and innovative new materials and medicines, among other things. “This atomic microscope can be used in fundamental science: materials science, chemistry, green energy, quantum information and more. It’s critical to achieve the femtosecond scales for investigating these science areas,” said Mohamed Othman, an associate scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and co-author on both papers. Link to SLAC news article below. It has links to both papers.

Stanford ENERGY newsletter is out! Chevron overturned; Next-gen #geothermal; Perovskite #solar Engineering #EV's Chu's Compton Medal #ESG scrutiny Check it out and subscribe for free: https://lnkd.in/gMcgueGs Stanford Law School Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Stanford University School of Engineering Stanford Online