Dean’s Message

Dear alumni and friends of the Case School of Engineering:

Ten years ago, researchers and leadership at Case Western Reserve University recognized a tremendous opportunity to expand our impact in advanced energy research. The establishment of the Great Lakes Energy Institute (GLEI) in 2008 made a strong statement about our commitment to solving the world’s most pressing energy problems and allowed us to build on our already strong foundation in the field.

In the decade since, GLEI has helped attract nearly $100 million in energyrelated funding to the university, fostering collaborations across campus to tackle scientific, technological, business and policy issues associated with energy research. The institute has facilitated the launch of a number of other energy-dedicated centers, building a robust network that includes the SDLE Research Center, which applies data analytics to improve performance and extend the lifetime of materials used in energy applications; the Wind Energy Research and Commercialization Center, which advances research related to turbine design, foundation structure and grid integration of wind energy; and the MORE Center, which provides resources for optoelectronic material and device research.

GLEI has helped attract millions of dollars in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Agency-Energy—or ARPA-E—making Case Western Reserve a leading institution in the administration of early-stage, commercially promising energy technologies, including an all-iron flow battery and data analytics to facilitate virtual energy audits. Beyond ARPA-E, the institute is advancing projects from how to better integrate solar photovoltaics into the grid, to building an offshore wind farm off the coast of Lake Erie, to using the Case Western Reserve campus as a proving ground to explore smart grid technology, and many more.

Ten years. Tens of millions of dollars in research funding. Dozens of projects, collaborations and initiatives bringing faculty and students across campus and across the region together to develop envelope-pushing energy innovations. There’s been much to celebrate in GLEI’s first 10 years, and I can’t wait to see what the future brings.

Sincerely, James McGuffin-Cawley Interim Dean, Case School of Engineering Arthur S. Holden Professor of Engineering