The tutelage and guidance provided by NETL’s Ruishu Wright as she mentors research associate Abhishek Venketeswaran demonstrates how the Lab is working to apply new concepts to the energy sector while fostering the careers of tomorrow’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) specialists. Venketeswaran grew up in India and developed a passion for mathematics at an early age, which prompted him to pursue engineering. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras. Venketeswaran went on to earn his doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University at Buffalo before joining NETL’s internship program in September 2019 as a post-doctoral research associate administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).

The February 2022 edition of the RWFI E-Note Monthly, the newsletter of NETL’s Regional Workforce Initiative (RWFI), will include details on funding opportunities for advancing undergraduate STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is vital for ensuring the growth of a future work force. The NSF’s Education and Human Resources Directorate seeks to significantly enhance its support for research, development, implementation, and assessment to improve STEM education at the nation’s two-year colleges. NSF encourages bold, potentially transformative projects that address immediate challenges facing STEM education at two-year colleges. These projects may also anticipate new structures and functions of the STEM learning and teaching enterprise. 

NETL’s Sofiane Benyahia, Ph.D., has received the Charles W. Pierce Distinguished Alumni Award from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. The award is presented annually and recognizes alumni who have brought recognition to IIT through their outstanding contributions to the advancement of the chemical and biological engineering profession and exceptional dedication and support to the university. The award will be presented at IIT in Chicago. In the early 1900s, IIT was one of a handful of universities that offered a formal course of study in chemical engineering. The award honors the legacy of Charles W. Pierce, who is not only the first graduate of the department but is also recognized as the first African American who earned a degree in chemical engineering. After earning his chemical engineering degree, Pierce taught at Tuskegee Normal College (now Tuskegee University), where colleagues included Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver, prominent African American scientists.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced two funding opportunities, totaling $6.1 million, for student training and research on remediating legacy pollution from coal-based electricity generation and using carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to generate low-carbon power. One funding opportunity will provide $3.1 million to support DOE’s University Coal Research (UCR) program, and the other opportunity will provide $2.2 million in support of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions (HBCU-OMI) program. Moreover, up to $800,000 in additional funding related to emissions control is available across both programs. This funding will support up to 20 student engineers and scientists working over 2-3 years on research projects related to technologies critical to advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.  

NETL collaborated with education leaders in West Virginia and at the Columbus, Ohio-based Center of Science and Industry (COSI) to create and distribute “Learning Lunchboxes,” which include materials and a guide to complete five engaging hands-on STEM-related activities. “When students begin to learn about STEM subjects, it’s important for them to participate in active learning experiences. The energy kits in these lunchboxes build strong interest in STEM subjects by providing materials to complete exciting projects. This sets the stage for ongoing success in these areas and generates early interest in STEM-related careers,” said NETL’s Ken Mechling, coordinator, STEM Education & Outreach Program. An initial set of energy-themed Learning Lunchboxes was distributed in December at the Mountaineer Middle School in Morgantown, West Virginia. The distribution was part of a celebration to open the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Technical Assistance Center (TAC). 

The NETL Science-based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Institute (SAMI) recently ramped up efforts to connect artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) researchers working on clean energy technologies by hosting a Jan. 19 Ai4AE Day Workshop and expanding the reach of its biweekly Artificial Intelligence for Applied Energy (Ai4AE) digital communication.  “The goal of this inaugural Ai4AE Day Workshop was to catalyze connections and socialize AI/ML research within NETL for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM),” said Kelly Rose, SAMI technical director. “Feedback from our participants and stakeholders indicate that this first event was a resounding success and helped build awareness of crosscutting efforts and promote knowledge sharing across the community.”

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced $28 million in federal funding for research and development (R&D) and front-end engineering design (FEED) projects that will advance clean hydrogen as a carbon-free fuel for transportation, industrial use and electricity production. Most hydrogen in the United States is traditionally produced using natural gas without carbon capture, which is not clean. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will leverage innovative approaches to produce clean hydrogen at lower costs from materials that include municipal solid waste, legacy coal waste, waste plastics and biomass with carbon capture and storage. These next-generation hydrogen technologies will play a significant role in decarbonizing the U.S. economy and advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Morgantown High School’s Team One and Suncrest Middle School’s Team One, both from Monongalia County claimed victory at the 31st annual West Virginia Regional Science Bowl, held virtually Feb. 4-5, 2022. Twenty teams representing 15 high schools and 17 teams from nine middle schools throughout the Mountain State took part in the competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The winners of the 2022 WVSB competition earned an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., where they will represent West Virginia in DOE’s National Science Bowl scheduled for April 28-May 2.  The West Virginia Science Bowl tested students’ knowledge of math and science topics. Middle school teams competed Friday, followed by high school students on Saturday. The virtual competition space and altered format adopted in 2021 continued this year. Teams competed individually instead of going head-to-head, with the highest scoring teams moving up. 

The latest edition of Water-Energy Nexus News is packed with research efforts undertaken by NETL and its partners to deliver world-class technology solutions that enhance the nation’s energy foundation while helping to protect water resources for future generations. This quarter’s newsletter explores the development of ProteusLib, an open-source library of water treatment models built on NETL’s Institute for the Design of Advanced Energy Systems (IDAES) platform. This work is creating a tool to complete technoeconomic assessments of early-stage water treatment technologies. Other updates in this edition of the newsletter include:

NETL researchers, working closely with experts at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), have designed a multi-cloud-based computational solution to complement on-site resources that will accelerate clean energy research across the agency.  The team then tested the cloud environment using the powerful NETL-developed deep-learning tool SmartSearch©, which helps to mitigate one of the biggest draws on a researcher’s time — searching for, acquiring, and transforming relevant data.