Speaker
Description
A group of researchers in Puerto Rico from public universities (University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Humacao, Cayey, and Mayagüez campuses) and private universities (Universidad Ana G. Méndez, Cupey and Gurabo campuses) has jointly successfully obtained NSF and DOE funding for projects to recruit, retain, and graduate undergraduate and graduate students conducting renewable energy research using nanostructured materials. These projects improve and broaden participation in these critical areas of research by increasing the number of participants from groups historically underrepresented in materials research completing degrees in STEM. These efforts are in collaboration with the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, the National Magnetic Laboratory (MagLab) in Tallahasse, Florida, the National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado, the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California operated by Stanford University, the San Francisco State University and the University of Texas at El Paso. A rapid transition to the use of renewable sources of energy (e.g., solar, wind) is needed if the worst consequences of climate change are to be avoided. Tackling this challenge requires developing new and innovative ideas on clean energy production and storage for energy applications. From solar cells, green hydrogen, and batteries to fuel cells, supercapacitors, and other technologies, materials science and electrochemistry are playing a central role in their development. The education and innovative collaborative materials research effort of our growing research community in Puerto Rico in collaboration with our partners will help to bring together and develop a diverse and talented scientific interdisciplinary community. Examples of research efforts in the area of nanostructured electrocatalysis for water splitting and fuel cells, nanostructures for dye-sensitized solar cells, and hybrid supercapacitors will be presented.
