DOE – Funding Opportunity to Develop Homegrown Transportation Fuels from Algae
The competitively selected projects will receive up to $14.3 million in fiscal year 2012 funds, with an additional $6.7 million available in fiscal year 2014 funding, subject to Congressional appropriations, for projects that meet rigorous performance criteria. Applications are due on April 18, 2012. For more information and application requirements for the Funding Opportunity. Continue reading
The Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research awarded its sixth round of competitive grants for energy research projects. The NCESR supports energy sciences research and education and encourages collaboration among UNL faculty and other organizations and businesses.
The center, established in 2006 through a partnership between UNL and the Nebraska Public Power District, supports promising research on renewable energy sources, conservation and efficiency and fosters economic opportunities for Nebraska. Recent awards are listed here by title, investigator(s) and department or unit: Continue reading
An Expression of Interest (EOI) entitled “Research Leading to Predictive Modeling and Simulation for Materials and Chemical Sciences” is now posted on the DoE BES website:
http://science.energy.gov/bes/funding-opportunities/predictive-theory-and-modeling/
It is expected that Basic Energy Sciences (BES) will provide up to $12 million per year for the three activities described in the EOI. Pre-applications are required and must be submitted by March 1, 2012.
As part of the Obama Administration’s blueprint for an American economy built to last, today U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced over $12 million to speed solar energy innovation from the lab to the marketplace through the Energy Department’s SunShot Incubator program. The funding will accelerate American innovation in solar energy and manufacturing by supporting advancements in hardware, reductions in soft costs, and the development of pilot manufacturing and production projects. Continue reading
CALL FOR PAPERS: The Sun Grant Initiative National Conference on Science for Biomass Feedstock Production and Utilization. The Sun Grant Initiative is organizing a national conference on the “Science for Biomass Feedstock Productionand Utilization.” It will be held October 2–5, 2012, at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference will highlight recent advances in the science and technology contributing to the deployment of advanced biofuels from agricultural and forest systems. The Initiative is currently seeking proposals for presentations that further the vision of the bioeconomy. Continue reading
Article by Vicki Miller, Research Communications, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Energy research at UNL should double within three to five years with the
Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research as a catalyst.
That’s the vision of the center’s new director, Mike Nastasi. An accomplished materials scientist, Nastasi joined UNL in January from Los Alamos National Laboratory where he directed the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Frontier Research Center for Materials at Irradiation and Mechanical Extremes.
Nastasi sees great potential for NCESR and UNL.
A combination of factors puts UNL in prime position to expand the breadth and impact of its energy research, Nastasi said. These include the center’s early successes, a strong partnership with Nebraska Public Power District, Chancellor Harvey Perlman’s plan to increase enrollment and research, and plans for Nebraska Innovation Campus. These pluses and the chance to play a role in improving the energy outlook for Nebraska and the nation drew Nastasi to Nebraska. “I’m impressed with the positive and upbeat outlook at UNL,” he said. “Things are coming together. This is a bright spot in
the middle of the country.” Continue reading
Materials scientist Mike Nastasi will become director of UNL’s Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research on Jan. 3.
Nastasi also will be a professor of mechanical and materials engineering and will hold the Elmer Koch Professorship. He comes to UNL from Los Alamos National Laboratory where he was a longtime researcher and, since 2009, directed the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Frontier Research Center on Materials at Irradiation of Mechanical Extremes. For more information, go to http://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/todayatunl /839/5117
Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research
Post-Secondary Curricula for Next-Generation Biofuels
Application Deadline: 02/06/2012
This RFP seeks proposals for curricula development in the area(s) of ‘next-generation’ biofuels (e.g. new or emerging technologies) to create a skilled workforce that, in part, may attract business development and create employment opportunities within the state of Nebraska.
Federal funds were granted to the Nebraska Department of Labor and made available for this purpose to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) is attached: RFP Post-Secondary Curricula for Next-Generation Biofuels
Bill Fehrman, a UNL graduate in civil engineering and current president and chief executive officerof MidAmerican Energy Company, will speak at a seminar from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m., on Wednesday – September 28, 2011. He will will discuss how MidAmerican is dealing with 20% generation from wind and related topics. The seminar will be held in 237 Scott Engineering Center. For question or more information, contact Electrical Engineering at 402-472-3771.Fehrman seminar – Sept 28
Dr. Michael Nastasi, Director U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Frontier Research Center on Materials at Irradiation of Mechanical Extremes will make a public presentation on Wednesday, August 31, 3:30 p.m., in room 212 at the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center in Lincoln, NE. The Visitors Center is located next to the city campuns union on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. 
Since 2009, Dr. Nastasi has been director of the Department of Energy’s Center for Materials at Irradiation and Mechanical Extremes at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Previously, he was the nano electronics and mechanics thrust leader in DOE’s Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies.
Dr. Nastasi earned doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in materials science and engineering from Cornell University. His research interests include ion-solid interactions, irradiation induced phase transformation and irradiation effects in nanostructured materials. He is a Fellow of the Materials Research Society and the American Physical Society. Dr. Nastasi was one of the top 50 most-published authors at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1996 to 2005. Dr. Nastasi CV.