Energy for a Sustainable Future Seminar Series
The Energy for a Sustainable Future Seminar Series will highlight research taking place across multiple disciplines and institutions to create broad solutions to the complex societal problem of energy resilience . Speakers will be drawn from a diversity of disciplines, including genetics, agriculture , renewable energy , and technology. This seminar series will provide insight into how climate change challenges can be addressed. Half of the series sessions will be offered virtually through Zoom . These online sessions will focus primarily on genetics and agriculture-related solutions to optimizing off-season pennycress ( Thlaspi arvense ) , a high-yielding oilseed crop that holds potential to yield up to 2 billion gallons of oil annually , thereby working toward USDA-NIFA ’s 25-year goal of 50 billion gallons of biofuels . Meanwhile, the other half of the sessions will bring experts to campus where they will present in-person on sustainable and renewable energy. The series will also provide a venue for members of the university community to engage with each other and strengthen connections , both internal and external to the university. This type of engagement is vitally important to spark interdisciplinary connections, ideas, research, and partnerships between people from different disciplines and backgrounds.
Tentative Seminar Series Schedule
This schedule will be updated often; please check back!
| Date | Time | Location | Speaker | Seminar Title |
| September 21, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. | Zoom | Winthrop Phippen, PhD | Integrated Pennycress Research Enabling Farm & Energy Resilience |
| October, 19, 2022 | 6:00p.m. | Schroeder Hall 138 | Andy Curkurs | The Renewable Energy Industry & Its Impact on Local Economies |
| November 9, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. | Zoom | Ratan Chopra, PhD | Translational Research Provides a Path for Sustainable Feedstockshttps://web.microsoftstream.com/video/78c3cda2-f8c9-4955-9b4b-e29bef526b41 |
| February 1, 2023 | 5:00 p.m. | Zoom | Andrea Gschwend, PhD | Physiological & Genetic Effects of Waterlogging on Pennycress |
| February 8, 2023 | 5:00 p.m. | Zoom | Dmitri A. Nusinow, PhD | TBD |
| March, 2023 TBD | ||||
| April, 2023 TBD |
Questions?
Please direct your questions to Dr. Rebekka Darner at rldarne@ilstu.edu.