Courses & Events
Powering the Future & Internationalizing Research
Thursday, Nov 7, 2013
04:15 pm - 05:30 pm
Powering the Future & International Research
Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign – Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
I2CNER (the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research) was inaugurated as the sixth institute of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative by the Ministry for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2010. I2CNER is an international collaboration between Japan and the US, based at Kyushu University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, respectively. At I2CNER, their mission is to contribute to the creation of a sustainable and environmentally-friendly society by conducting fundamental research for the advancement of low carbon emission and cost effective energy systems and improvement of energy efficiency. Through a multi- and inter-disciplinary approach, I2CNER researchers synergistically couple theory, computer modeling and simulation with experimental methodologies to discover, control, and manipulate the interactions between materials and gasses. Amongst the array of technologies that I2CNER’s research aims to enable is the innovative, safe, and reliable production, storage, and utilization of hydrogen as a fuel in a hydrogen-based economy. Our research also explores the underlying science of CO2 capture and storage technology or the conversion of CO2 to a useful product. Additionally, it is our mission to establish an international academic environment that fosters innovation through collaboration and interdisciplinary research (fusion).
Achieving and even exceeding CO2 emission reduction targets and developing innovative safe and reliable energy systems are serious challenges. They require a paradigm shift in our approach to research that bridges not only multiple spatial, molecular to miles, and temporal scales, nanoseconds to decades, but it also necessitates bringing together scientists and engineers from disparate disciplines. To meet these challenges, I2CNER aims at establishing the international environment and framework necessary to stimulate novel research endeavors amongst some of the world’s leading experts in disciplines such as chemistry, physics, materials science, mechanics, geoscience, oceanic science and biomimetics. In addition, through such an international research environment, I2CNER will educate students and provide our nations and the international community with the next-generation of scientists and engineers needed to address the critical and complex technological and societal challenges in energy.
Professor Sofronis is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and has received awards and recognition from the National Science Foundation and Ford Motor Company. Professor Sofronis has B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Aristoteleion University in Greece and a Ph.D. and M.S in Theoretical & Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Immediately following the session, we’ll have a short-networking reception from 5:30 – 6:15PM. This is the fifth session in the US-Asia Technology Management Center’s nine week seminar series on “New Value Chains and the Rise of Open Innovation in Asia.”
Presented by the US-Asia Technology Management Center in Stanford’s School of Engineering, with general series support from SunBridge Partners and the Miner Foundation.
