ANDLINGER OPENING: National leaders in science, technology, industry and government will gather to celebrate the opening of Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment this Wednesday through Friday. (Photo by David Kelly Crow)

On the agenda is nothing less than the energy and environmental problems of the world and the future of technology in addressing those problems, as national leaders in science, technology, industry and government gather at Princeton University this Wednesday through Friday to celebrate the opening of the University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment. 

“Meeting the world’s energy demands in a way that serves all of society and preserves the environment is an all-hands-on-deck challenge,“ said Emily A. Carter, founding director of the Center and incoming dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. “We are working broadly across many disciplines and collaborating with industry and other institutions, and we invite interested people of all backgrounds to come to the event and engage with us in the years to come.”

Investigating environmentally friendly, economical, and lasting solutions to supplying and using energy, the featured speakers for the three-day event include Ralph Cicerone, president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences; Ralph Izzo, president and chief executive officer of Public Services Enterprise Group Inc.; Ellen Williams, director, Advanced Research Projects Agency, U.S. Department of Energy; Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, deputy secretary of energy, U.S. Department of Energy; Norman Augustine, retired chairman and chief executive of Lockheed Martin; and Richard Kauffman, chairman of energy and finance for New York state, Office of the Governor.

The Andlinger Center faculty will also present talks on recent innovation in fields ranging from energy storage, high-performance building design, biofuels, thin-film solar cells and lighting to sustainable cement production and fusion power.

Ms. Carter described the Center’s mission, finding solutions to energy and environmental problems, “to be among the most important challenges for humanity this century and beyond.” She continued, “The opening of the physical building lends permanence to our efforts that have been carried out as a virtual center up to now. My hopes for the building have been fully realized: a functional, beautiful building that inspires all who come to work and be educated within it.”

The Andlinger Center was founded in 2008 and has developed a program of research, education, corporate collaboration and public outreach. Construction on the building, at 86 Olden Street next to the University E-Quad, started in 2012 and was completed earlier this year.

“The occupants of the building love it,” Ms. Carter added. “So much natural light and views into nature remind us each day why we are so invested in the mission of the Andlinger Center.”

Among the accomplishments of the Center so far, even before the official opening, Ms. Carter cited the hiring of seven new faculty, who “cover strategic areas related to energy storage, solar cells and efficient lighting, sustainable building materials (concrete in particular), energy efficient heating and cooling architectures, fusion energy, biofuels and bioderived chemicals, and energy efficient power electronics and smart grid technologies.”

Ms. Carter went on to mention their Energy Technology Distillates project, producing publications to educate decision-makers and the population in general about emerging energy technologies; their undergraduate multidisciplinary certificate programs: a technical one for scientists and engineers and one aimed at humanities and social science students focusing on the intersection of energy with society; and a corporate affiliates program “to translate our discoveries into practical solutions and also fund innovative research for students as well as faculty.”

Looking to the future, Ms. Carter concluded, “Our priorities for the next 5-10 years will be to continue to grow our current programs and to build our partnerships with external entities with similar missions to move towards a low-carbon emission world.”