On December 3rd, the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society hosted its third annual Symposium on Energy and Society, attracting over 70 researchers and faculty members. This event aimed to showcase the diversity of energy and climate research at Dartmouth, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, and cultivate a proactive community driven to solve challenges at the intersection of energy and society.
In her opening remarks, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Barbara Will described Irving as "a nexus, a place of convergence where collaborations happen." She explained that the symposium would explore current research directions, future predictions, and potential solutions, encouraging participants to envision collaborations and actionable implementations to advance their ideas. She expressed hope that the day would inspire attendees to think more deeply and broadly about their engagement across campus and into the wider society.
The day's events began with a compelling keynote address, Taking Research to the Next Level, from Kyle McEneaney of the Astera Institute, who addressed the paradoxes of abundance and scarcity in research and discussed philanthropy's role in catalyzing progress.
Attendees then engaged in a series of sessions covering critical topics, including health and equity in the clean energy transition, data-driven approaches to electrification, and partnerships and implementation, and heard from the Ivy Collective Symposium's Three-Minute-Thesis competition winner, Dartmouth Engineering PhD Candidate Ene Michelle Igomu.
Watch the Panels and Ene Michelle Igomu's Three-Minute-Thesis:
- Panel: Health and Equity in the Clean Energy Transition
- Panel: Data and Electrification for the Energy Transition
- Panel: Partnerships and Implementation
- 3-Minute Thesis: Revolutionizing 3D Catalyst Design for Clean Hydrogen Production, Ene Igomu
Watch faculty seed grant winners presentations:
- Searching for New Rare-Earth-Free High-Performance Permanent Magents
- Toward Accurate Accounting of Soil Carbon
- Climate Communications Research Collective
- 3D Printing Enhanced Catalysis for Energy Conversion and Production
- Panel: Partnerships and Implementation
During lunch, postdoctoral researchers shared posters of their research. The afternoon concluded with lightning talks that covered a broad spectrum of research from mathematics to emergency medicine.
Postdoctoral researchers share their researchers posters.
Watch 3-Minute Lightning Talks:
- Building Better Catalysts Using Porous Ligands
- Climate Risk Management: From Decision Making to Basic Research (and Back)
- Environmental Exposures and Respiratory Health Outcomes
- Vibrios, Climate Change and Pathogenesis
- Fueling Forever Chemicals: Educating Communities on Hidden Connections
- Smarter Algorithms for Big Data and the Cloud
- Koopman Operator Analysis of Weather and Climate System
- Clean Energy Project: Search for Next-Generation Solar Cell Materials
- Geospatial Approaches and Application in Public Health
- Modeling the Influence of Subglacial Hydrology on Ice Dynamics
- Strengthening Regional Flood Resilience Through Community Engaged Research
- Indigenizing Climate Finance in the Arctic: Treating Nature as a Bank
- Curricular Innovations in Planetary Health at Dartmouth
- Adapting to Increased Extreme Precipitation Across the Northeast
- Viral-bacterial Co-infection Impacts Host Innate Immune Cells Function
The symposium not only highlighted current research but also reinforced the Irving Institute's commitment to fostering innovative solutions through collaboration and partnership, setting the stage for future advancements in energy and society.
A big thanks goes to the Irving Institute staff for organizing the event, especially Angelika Hofmann, Andrila Hait Chakrabarti, Cate Homicki, and Melissa Weinstein.
Access speaker bios via the Symposium Agenda.