The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently awarded the University of Nebraska  with a three-year, $450,000 Faculty Development Grant to support the research of Bai Cui, assistant professor of mechanical and materials engineering.  The grant will help develop materials for the next generation of nuclear power facilities.  Jeff Shield, chair of mechanical and materials engineering, and Michael Nastasi, director of the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research, collaborated on the grant.  NRC will help develop materials for next generation nuclear power facilities

Left to Right: Lorraine Moon, Caleb Schmidt, Jeannie Lozowski, Michael Bengston, and Alan Dostal

Alan Dostal, Director of Research for Nebraska Public Power District and Liaison to the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research (NCESR) and Lorraine Moon (NCESR) traveled with the NCESR summer interns to the Cooper Nuclear Station on Friday, June 29.  Cooper Nuclear is an 800 Megawatt, highly secured facility located along the Missouri River in Nebraska.  The three-hour tour consisted of a visit to the control room, on site training center and the cooling water intake structure.  The group also had lunch at the Atomic Grill (located at the Cooper Nuclear Station).

Shaped by volunteers from state agencies, farmer and rancher organizations, public power utilities, the renewable energy industry, and academia – the Nebraska Wind & Solar Conference aims to present accurate and objective information pertaining to all aspects of wind and solar development.  Individuals from across the country attend the Nebraska Wind & Solar Conference to network, learn, and be inspired by quality speakers and timely presentations. The conference programming covers a wide-range of topics relevant to the wind and solar industry and the future of development in Nebraska.  This two-day event (October 16-17, 2018) will bring together a diverse range of stakeholders from Nebraska and across the country to share the latest information and innovations in wind and solar.  Early bird registration ends September 15, 2018.  11th Annual Nebraska Wind & Solar Conference

The Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research is seeking innovative energy sciences research and collaboration ideas from University of Nebraska faculty.  The Request for Proposals was released April 2, 2018. This is the thirteenth annual cycle in which UNL faculty can compete in this internal competition for energy research grants  These grants are considered seed funding to help UNL faculty develop energy-related research capacity and improve their competitiveness for external funding.  Funding for this opportunity is made possible through an investment in energy sciences research by the Nebraska Public Power District.  Preproposals are due May 18, 2018 by 5:00 p.m.  Full proposals will be by invitation.  NCESR Cycle 13 RFP

Dr. Yasar Demirel, Associate Professor in the University of Nebraska’s Chemical and Biomolecular Department, has written a book chapter entitled Biofuels” which appeared in Comprehensive Energy Systems, Volume 1, (2018) pp. 875-908 by Oxford: Elsevier.  Some of the subjects covered in the chapter include biomass, biorefinery systems, conversion processes, biodiesel, bioethanol, nutrient recovery from municipal wastewater, the right way to use biofuels, and future directions.  To read the article, click here – BIOFUELS (book chapter)

2018 NCESR Summer Interns and Sponsors:
Caleb Schmidt, Patrick Dussault, Jeannie Lozowski, Xia Hong, Michael Bengston, Ananth Venkatachalam, Chris Cornelius

Four undergraduate students were selected as recipients of the Darrell J. Nelson Summer Undergraduate Internship in Energy Sciences Research for the summer of 2018.  The four recipients and their supervising faculty members are:  Ananth Venkatachalam (Chris Cornelius, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering),  Jeannie Lozowski (Patrick Dussault, Department of Chemistry), Caleb Schmidt (Xiaoshan Xu, Department of Physics and Astronomy), and Michael Bengston  (Xia Hong, Department of Physics and Astronomy).  As part of their internship experience, the students presented posters at the Nebraska Summer Research Symposium.  To view the posters, click here. The internship is named after Mr. Darrell J. Nelson, who served 41 years on the Custer County Public Power District and Nebraska Public Power (NPPD) Boards. 

Five new research projects were selected for funding by the Energy Center in its twelfth annual grant competition.  The faculty selected for the awards were Professors Liangcheng Du, Department of Chemistry;  Wei Qiao, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Karrie Weber, School of Biological Sciences; Xiaoshan Xu, Department of Physics and Astronomy; and Natale Ianno, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.  To learn more go to Research Grant Awards – Cycle 12.

Dr. Mark Riley serves as both the Associate Director of the Energy Center for Biofuels and Bioproducts and as the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering.  He is the former department head of biological systems engineering.  Dr. Riley provides leadership in the area of bioprocess engineering and biosensors.  He also leads UNL’s efforts to connect with industry and government agencies in these areas.  Dr. Riley has been inducted as a Fellow into the American Association for the Advancement of Science and will be inducted into the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers.  He is also regarded for his national leadership in advancing the field of biological engineering, which integrates life sciences and engineering to create new knowledge, products and processes.

The RMEL Foundation purpose is to award scholarships to deserving and qualified students in engineering, business, information systems, plant, line or distribution technology, line worker or other curriculum related to the electric energy industry.

Awards will be made in two categories:

The Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research (NCESR) is taking applications for the summer undergraduate internship in energy sciences research. The Darrell J. Nelson Summer Undergraduate Internship in Energy Sciences Research is being offered for the fifth time in the amount up to $5,000 per recipient for the summer of 2018. For additional information about the 2018 application requirements, click here: 2018 NCSER Summer Internship Info Sheet.  For a copy of the application form (Word document),  click here: NCESR Summer Undergraduate Internship – 2018 Application Form  To learn more about previous summer undergraduate internship projects, go to http://ncesr.unl.edu/?page_id=8120