Job announcement: Assistant Professor in Sustainable Technology and Design
The Environmental Studies Program and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Colgate University invite applications for a tenure-stream position in the field of Sustainable Technology and Design at the rank of Assistant Professor, beginning in the fall semester 2013.
Canada’s IDRC hiring a Research Program Leader
Canada’s International Development Research Center is looking for a Program Leader of the Global Adaptation Research Program. The Global Adaptation Research Program (GARP) is a new partnership between IDRC and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID). This new program of research on adaptation to climate change represents a joint investment of CAD 70 million over seven (7) years in Asia and Africa.
The position requires 10 years of relevant experience, with an emphasis in developing regions, in the following activities:
- Leading and managing multidisciplinary, international teams including senior researchers with diverse backgrounds and expertise.
- Communicating the results and impact of research to a variety of audiences including academia, policy actors (national, international and donor), and practitioners.
- Representing an organization, explaining and promoting its vision, mandate and activities, including at the international level.
- Conducting or commissioning research, including in developing regions.
- Consulting with stakeholders to define research needs and facilitating the uptake and use of evidence.
- Language: A superior knowledge of English and intermediate knowledge of French is essential for the position. Note: If the successful candidate doesn’t meet the bilingual language requirement, he/she will be required to take language training.
Click here for a complete exectuive brief of GARP Program Leader position and consider applying!
Green Chemistry Happy Hour!
Investing in Green Chemistry- Enabling a Better Tomorrow
Join the Minnesota Green Chemistry Forum for a intellectual happy hour discussing pathways to investment and challenges in the growing field of green and bio-based chemicals.
When: Thursday, November 8, 2012 – 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Where: Brave New Workshop ETC, 824 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. (Parking Details)
Register: $10.00 (cash bar – appetizers provided)
What: Investment has proven to be critical for the growth of green chemistry and bio-based materials, as large amounts of capital are needed to take new chemicals and products to the market. With demand for safer chemicals increasing as consumers seek products that have minimal climate, energy and environmental problems, green chemistry has begun to take center stage for investors across the world. Minnesota is proving itself as a vital hub for this development. In fact, in quarter two of 2012 bio-based materials were the largest recipient of investment capital, beating out medical devices and tech companies for the first time ever. Minnesota companies like BioPlastic Solutions are offering cost competitive and high performance products that are renewable and environmentally sustainable.
Who: Featuring Gary Noble, CEO, BioPlastic Solutions, & Todd Leonard, Executive Director, Minnesota Angel Network
Mini-Climate School – Kuehnast Lecture
Earl Kuehnast spent the majority of his life as a U.S. Air Force pilot/meteorologist and the Minnesota State Climatologist. By the time of his retirement in 1986, the Minnesota State Climatology Office had become an essential part of the state’s affairs, and one of the best in the United States. Kuehnast and his wife left the U of M’s Department of Soil, Water and Climate an endowment now used to further teaching and research programs in climatology and meteorology and to put on the annual Kuehnast Lecture Series.
The 20th annual lecture will be on Nov. 8th, 2012 from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the St. Paul Student Center Theatre.
This program’s lectures:
Canada: No longer the Cold White North – 1:30 p.m. – David Phllips, Environment Canada Senior Climatologist. Canadians love to boast about their weather. The snowiest country in the world is also home to the chosen frozen!- Phillips Lecture Abstract
Current Advances in Monitoring and Modeling Urban Climates – 2:45 p.m. – Sue Grimmond, Kings College London. More than half the world’s population now live in cities. – Grimmond Lecture Abstract
Severe Thunderstorms and Climate Change – 3:45 p.m. – Harold Brooks, NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory. During the past century, the world’s temperature increased and is projected to increase more during the next century. – Brooks Lecture Abstract
Attend one or all of these lectures, they are free and open to the public!
For more information contact: Dr. Mark Seeley Department of Soil, Water, and Climate (612) 625-4724
BBE Seminar hosted at IonE
Biorenewables Systems Analysis at Iowa State University
Seminar led by: Robert Brown, Robert Brown, Guiping Hu, Mark Wright of Iowa State University
When/Where: Tuesday, October 23, 3:30pm, Room R380, LES
Thermochemical conversion of biomass feedstocks to transportation fuels is a promising avenue to sustainable energy security. Realizing this potential, however, requires careful evaluation of the technical, economic, environmental, and social impacts of biofuels. An integrated assessment framework for novel thermochemical biofuel pathway design will be discussed in this talk, including, commercial scale technoeconomic analysis (TEA), lifecycle assessment (LCA), supply chain management, and system optimization.
For the complete abstract: BBE Seminar Announcement
About the speakers:
Dr. Robert C. Brown is Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Gary and Donna Hoover Chair in Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University (ISU). He is the director of ISU’s Bioeconomy Institute and the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies. His research focuses on the thermochemical processing of biomass into energy, fuels, and chemicals.
Dr. Guiping Hu is an assistant professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. She also has affiliations with the Sustainable Agriculture graduate program and the Bioeconomy Institute at ISU. Her research interests include operations research and mathematical optimization models with applications on techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of bioenergy systems.
Dr. Mark Wright is an assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering and Bioeconomy Institute affiliate faculty at Iowa State University. Mark’s research interests include energy systems analysis, surrogate model development, and thermochemical biomass conversion.
