Northeastern University Wins the Prestigious Princeton Review Green Rating

Northeastern University has been chosen to be among 18 select colleges and Universities for the Princeton Reviews Green Rating. In its third annual green review, 18 institutions received the highest score of 99 when measured for the following criterion:

http://www.princetonreview.com/green/press-release.aspx

1) The percentage of food expenditures that goes toward local, organic or otherwise environmentally preferable food

2) Whether the school offers programs including free bus passes, universal access transit passes, bike sharing/renting, car sharing, carpool parking, vanpooling or guaranteed rides home to encourage alternatives to single-passenger automobile use for students

3) Whether the school has a formal committee with participation from students that is devoted to advancing sustainability on campus

4) Whether new buildings are required to be LEED (environmental certification of equipment/appliances) Silver certified or comparable

5) The school's overall waste diversion rate

6) Whether the school has an environmental studies major, minor or concentration

7) Whether the school has an "environmental literacy" requirement

8) Whether the school has produced a publicly available greenhouse gas emissions inventory and adopted a climate action plan consistent with 80 percent greenhouse gas reductions by 2050 targets

9) What percentage of the school’s energy consumption, including heading/cooling and electrical, is derived from renewable sources (this definition included “green tags” but not nuclear or large-scale hydropower)

10) Whether the school employs a dedicated full-time (or full-time equivalent) sustainability officer.

Among the 18 institutions are:

Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ), College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor, ME), Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA), Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA), Harvard College (Cambridge, MA), Northeastern University (Boston, MA), Northland College (Ashland, WI), State University of New York, Binghampton, Unity College (Unity, ME), University of California, Berkeley, Santa Barbara and at Santa Cruz, University of Maine (Oronoro, ME), University of Maryland, College Park, Warren Wilson College (Asheville, NC), West Virginia University and Yale University.

Congratulations to the people in the Northeastern University Sustainability program and their continued efforts to Green the campus. For more information follow the link to: http://www.northeastern.edu/sustainability/

Shanghai in July

Reached Shanghai for the 8th International Symposium on New Materials for Electrochemical Systems organized by Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Shanghai at this time of the year is steamy and wet. However the city never ceases to amaze me with the level of growth and sheer force of its development. Stayed a the Jianguo Hotel on Caioxi Road, which was very centrally located. Was received by Dr. Wen Wen at the airport, he is doing very well and at the present works as a staff scientist at the new Shanghai light source. He seemed to be well settled with all the trappings (car, apartment and socially as well). It was a good conference with a lot of papers and posters from students and postdocs, exuding the confidence and energy of China. I am posting some of the pictures which I took in Shanghai during my brief but enjoyable trips out of the hotel into the usual tourist places in Shanghai.

Most visited spot was in the bund area where the muddy Huangpu river bends with the very impressive sky scrappers over on the other side called Pudong. I have a video of this posted to show the impressive scale of the buildings. Nanjing road on the other side is the usual tourist area with shops and touts selling imitation stuff such as watches etc. Visited the famous bare M on the bund which is located in building no 7. Also went to the old Shanghai with its crowded markets and bustling commerce. One of the highlights was Dongtai road where amongst more quieter environs one could browse among the many antique shops selling exotic stuff such as the Mao's red book etc.

On the whole was a memorable trip, one among many to be made to this emerging economy.

See video a thttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAUvH7fAtBgReached Shanghai forthe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uldO_Tbk9zYational Symposium on New Materials for Electrochemical Systems organized by Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Shanghai at this time of the year is steamy and wet. However the city never ceases to amaze me with the level of growth and sheer force of its development. Stayed a the Jianguo Hotel on Caioxi Road, which was very centrally located. Was received by Dr. Wen Wen at the airport, he is doing very well and at the present works as a staff scientist at the new Shanghai light source. He seemed to be well settled with all the trappings (car, apartment and socially as well). It was a good conference with a lot of papers and posters from students and postdocs, exuding the confidence and energy of China. I am posting some of the pictures which I took in Shanghai during my brief but enjoyable trips out of the hotel into the usual tourist places in Shanghai.

Most visited spot was in the bund area where the muddy Huangpu river bends with the very impressive sky scrappers over on the other side called Pudong. I have a video of this posted to show the impressive scale of the buildings. Nanjing road on the other side is the usual tourist area with shops and touts selling imitation stuff such as watches etc. Visited the famous bare M on the bund which is located in building no 7. Also went to the old Shanghai with its crowded markets and bustling commerce. One of the highlights was Dongtai road where amongst more quieter environs one could browse among the many antique shops selling exotic stuff such as the Mao's red book etc.

On the whole was a memorable trip, one among many to be made to this emerging economy.

NUCRET Energy Challenges for the New Millennium

Welcome!

NUCRET (The Northeastern University Center for Renewable Energy Technology) is pleased to present the Symposium on Energy Challenges for the New Millennium, April 27 - April 29, 2009.

The symposium will feature:

- Dr. Abdul Kalam, Hon. Former President of India
- Prof. John Holdren, Science Advisor to President Barack Obama
- Dr. Radha Jalan, CEO of Electrochem. Inc

and many other influential speakers. The events, forums and lectures, are **OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR FREE!**

Please use the links on the right to view our events schedule, register for events, learn about our Center, find information about parking and registration, or contact us with questions.

Monday, April 27: Policy and Entrepreneurship Forums
Highlights will include a remarks by Dr. Abdul Kalam, Hon. Former President of India; Prof. John Holdren, Science Advisor to President Barack Obama; and Ms. Radha Jalan, CEO of Electrochem, Inc. More>>

Tuesday, April 28: High School Outreach Event with MOS
On Tuesday, NUCRET and the Museum of Science will host an event for an invited group of local high school science students. Learn More about Tuesday's Outreach Event>>

Wednesday, April 29 - Scientific Sessions
Wednesday's Scientific Sessions will feature 13 outstanding international speakers on the topic of "Materials Challenges for Clean Energy in the New Millennium." More>>

Joe's e-mail

Dear All,

Happy new year! By the way, does Joe has a private e-mail account? I sent him an e-mail to his neu account, however it was bounced back. Please let me know if possible. Thanks!

Best,
Wen

The amounts of funding opportunities in the final Stimulus Bill

· Renewable Energy Loan Guarantees: $6 billion for loans for renewable energy power generation (think wind, tide, and solar) and transmission projects.

• Local Government Energy Efficiency Grants: $6.3 billion to help state and local governments make investments that make them more energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions.

• Energy Efficiency Housing Retrofits: $250 million for a new program to upgrade HUD sponsored low-income housing to increase energy efficiency, including new insulation, windows, and furnaces. Funds will be competitively awarded.

• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Research: $2.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities to foster energy independence, reduce carbon emissions, and cut utility bills. Funds are awarded on a competitive basis to universities, companies, and national laboratories.

• Advanced Battery Grants: $2 billion for the Advanced Battery Grants Program, to support U.S. manufacturers of advanced vehicle batteries and battery systems. America should lead the world in transforming the way automobiles are powered.

• Home Weatherization: $5 billion to help low-income families reduce their energy costs by weatherizing their homes and make our country more energy efficient.

• Smart Appliances: $300 million to provide consumers with rebates for buying energy efficient Energy Star products to replace old appliances, which will lower energy bills.

• Electric Transportation: $400 million for a new grant program to encourage electric vehicle technologies.

• Alternative Buses and Trucks: $300 million to help state and local governments purchase efficient alternative fuel vehicles to reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions.

• Diesel Emissions Reduction: $300 million for grants and loans to state and local governments for projects that reduce diesel emissions, benefiting public health and reducing global warming. This includes technologies to retrofit emission exhaust systems on school buses, replace engines and vehicles, and establish anti-idling programs. Last year EPA was able to fund only 27% of the applications received.

• Training for Green Jobs: $500 million to prepare workers for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy fields.

SSRF EXAFS

Hopefully, I can catch for this event too! I'm looking forward for it.

It was a pity that I have not taken any pictures of Qinggang and his lovely wife. They were just too busy these days and are hopping around among 4-5 cities. However, indeed, I can tell that, both of them are pretty happy!

By the way, the EXAFS group (two professors) will launch at Boston pretty soon. (Jan. 8th ).

Happy New Year

Folks, here it is, A brand new year. We had a great end of the year party on the 20th. Sorry forgot to take any pictures. Following this I have had a two week R&R. Hope all others have had a great break. It is time to get back to our mission. We have a lot in front of us.
First let me wish the newly married couple Qingang and his spouse a hearty welcome. I hope Jimmy will post some pictures on the blog soon.
Second I want to wish our couple to be all the best. A lot of good things are expected from Tom and Jaimy. Including their graduation some time at the end of summer.
Third, we hope to get some new members to join us soon. We need to swell our ranks for this to continue.
Details of the plans etc. would be discussed in our group meeting.