Strategic Plan: The Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (ISEN) by ISEN

The Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern University Reimagine the Possible. Empower our Future. FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN, 2016-2020

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

O U R V I S I O N F O R 2020 Northwestern University’s approach to addressing complex, global issues is built on a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration and its connection to the world. Since the University’s founding, our faculty and students have boldly pursued discovery and progress by embracing the complexities inherent in natural and social networks.

Northwestern’s future relevance will be measured in a world defined by unprecedented challenges. The pace of population growth, coupled with rising expectations for a more globally equitable standard of living demands access to clean energy and water at a time when the sustainability of our planet’s life-supporting environment is imperiled. Climate change also impacts the viability of other sustaining global systems, including public health, economic development, and politicaleconomic structures. Simply put, we are all stakeholders, and there are no sidelines in our interdependent future.

Through its Institute for Sustainability and Energy (ISEN), Northwestern is committed to a leadership role for these grand challenges. ISEN’s charge is rooted in the University’s Strategic Plan—to discover, integrate learning and experience, connect with community, and engage with the world. We know that the future calls for innovation and action, both hallmarks of the Northwestern enterprise. ISEN seamlessly connects the multidisciplinary assets of the University, spanning the sciences, engineering, law, policy, and business, to global partners equipped to implement sustainability and energy solutions.

ISEN is building a stronger Northwestern—one that is more agile, systematically collaborative, and globally relevant. It does so with the understanding that aligning discovery, experience, and impact will make Northwestern a recognized 21st-century leader for sustainability and energy, at exactly the time when it matters.

All this we must do, now and together, to reimagine the possible and empower our future.

MORTON SCHAPIRO Northwestern University President

MICHAEL R. WASIELEWSKI ISEN Executive Director

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

ISEN Leadership & Executive Council

OUR RESEARCH In Brief

Solar Electricity and Fuels

Catalysis and Green Chemistry

Sustainable Materials

Climate and Carbon Science

Water

Resilient Communities

OUR EDUCATION In Brief

A Strong Foundation of Sustainability and Energy Education 24 The ISEN Certificate Curriculum

A Focus on Entrepreneurship and Social Impact

Building Career Networks 30

OUR ENGAGEMENT In Brief

Partnerships 36

Future Growth for Strategic Engagement

Five Year Goals Timeline

A Vision for Success: Where Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Headed

ISEN RE-IMAGINING THE POSSIBLE AND EMPOWERING OUR FUTURE

A P R O C E S S TO D E F I N E O U R P R I O R I T I E S ISEN’s mission is to advance global sustainability and energy solutions through transformational research, interdisciplinary education, and public engagement. The Institute is charged with building on Northwestern’s existing strengths, while maintaining the agility to nurture future areas of discovery, education, and partnership. In the context of climate and global growth pressures, the next five years are a critical inflection point for the Institute’s strategic development, financial future, and legacy.

The following plan is the culmination of a year-long, collaboratively led strategic planning process involving key internal and external stakeholders, including the ISEN Executive Council, the Institute’s leadership and senior faculty, and University administration. This plan outlines ISEN’s top priorities in research, education, and engagement. Specific, time-bound goals for Institute programs, resources, and alliances are presented herein to assist stakeholders in their assessment of, and support for, ISEN’s impact.

“We will contribute to the solutions for renewable energy and a sustainable environment and to how public policies and economic incentives promote implementation of new technologies and practices...” —NORTHWESTERN STRATEGIC PLAN

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

ISEN LEADERSHIP ISEN’s leadership is comprised of a multidisciplinary team of world-renowned faculty representing core disciplines across engineering and natural sciences, and associated ISEN Centers. MICHAEL R. WASIELEWSKI ISEN Executive Director Michael R. Wasielewski is the Clare Hamilton Hall Professor of Chemistry and director of the Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center and the Solar Fuels Institute (SOFI). Wasielewski holds an appointment as senior scientist in the Materials Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory. His research focuses on lightdriven charge transfer and transport in molecules and materials, photosynthesis, nanoscale materials for solar energy conversion, spin dynamics of multi-spin molecules, molecular materials for optoelectronics and spintronics, and time-resolved optical and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.

YIP-WAH CHUNG is a professor of materials science and engineering and (by courtesy) mechanical engineering. Chung’s research focuses on surface science, thin films, tribology, alloy design, advanced lubricants for improved vehicle efficiency, and high throughput materials synthesis. Yip-Wah Chung

Demetria Giannisis

Dick Co

Mercouri Kanatzidis

Kenneth Poeppelmeier

Mark Ratner

Bradley Sageman

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

DICK CO is the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Environmental Chemistry Mentor and a Northwestern research professor of chemistry at the ArgonneNorthwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center. Co is also a founding member and managing director of the Solar Fuels Institute (SOFI). His scholarly research focuses on the creation of better solutions for solar energy conversion through the study of how light and matter interact.

DEMETRIA GIANNISIS is the managing director of ISEN. Giannisis leads strategy and partnership development, as well as business and research administration, and integrated marketing communications management.

MERCOURI KANATZIDIS is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry and director of the Center for Advanced Materials for Energy and the Environment (CAMEE). Kanatzidis’ research centers on solid state and coordination chemistry of chalcogenide compounds, and thermoelectric materials. He also studies chalcogels, perovskite solar materials, complex intermetallic phases, mesoporous semiconductors, and conducting polymers.

KENNETH POEPPELMEIER is the Charles E. & Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry and director of the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science (CCSS). Poeppelmeier’s research focuses on the energy-related applications of inorganic solid state chemistry and ranges from the growth of single crystals to the synthesis of new transparent conductors. Applications of his research include heterogeneous catalysis and solar energy.

MARK RATNER is the Lawrence B. Dumas Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Chemistry. Ratner’s work focuses on the understanding of charge transfer and charge transport processes, based on molecular structures ranging from nonadiabatic intramolecular behavior to aspects of molecular devices, including photovoltaics, conductive polymers, molecular transport junctions, and molecular switches.

BRADLEY SAGEMAN is a professor and the chairperson of the department of earth and planetary sciences. Sageman’s research, which has its foundation in understanding the relationship between geologic time and the accumulation of sedimentary rocks, is relevant to both the exploration and production of hydrocarbons (especially shale gas, a critical transition fuel to a lowcarbon future), and to the role of the carbon cycle as a natural source and sink of CO2 to the atmosphere.

ISEN EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ISEN’s Executive Council is an advisory board of renewable energy executives, conservationists, and cleantech entrepreneurs. Council members bring financial resources to the Institute and advise the leadership team and University decision makers on industry trends and policy. BRUCE W. STEPHENSON, WCAS ‘87 SSL MDA Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer Chair, ISEN Executive Council Bruce Stephenson is the Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer for SSL MDA, the world’s leading commercial satellite manufacturer. He was previously a partner with Bain & Company, focused on the Utilities & Alternative Energy and Aerospace sectors, where he worked with clients to develop corporate and business unit strategies, improve operational performance, and engage in mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining Bain, Stephenson was an Air Force officer and served in a variety of national and international space policy, technology development, and operations roles.

Henry S. Bienen

Mark S. Lillie

Anne R. Pramaggiore

Michelle Carr

Pin Ni

Kevin Self

James A. Denaut

Chris Nicholas

Steve Feldman

Thomas O’Flynn

HENRY S. BIENEN, ’09 H Northwestern University President Emeritus

MARK S. LILLIE, MCC ‘81 Kirkland & Ellis Partner

ANNE R. PRAMAGGIORE Commonwealth Edison President and CEO

MICHELLE CARR The Nature Conservancy in Illinois State Director

PIN NI Wanxiang America Corporation President and University Trustee

KEVIN SELF, KSM ‘91 Schneider Electric Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development & Government Relations

JAMES A. DENAUT, WCAS ‘84 Nomura Securities Joint International Head of Investment Banking, Head of Investment Banking (Americas) and University Trustee

CHRIS NICHOLAS, WCAS ‘04 Honeywell UOP Principal Scientist, Catalysis Applications of Exploratory Materials Research

STEVE FELDMAN, MCC ‘92 Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP Partner

THOMAS O’FLYNN, WCAS ‘82 The AES Corporation Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, ISEN Executive Council Founding Chair

BERT VALDMAN, WCAS ‘84 Optimum Energy President and CEO

Bert Valdman

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

OUR RESEARCH

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

IN BRIEF The Institute builds on Northwestern’s culture of team-driven science to accelerate progress from discovery to application.

By focusing on building local and global partnerships that provide pathways to prototype, test, and deploy ISEN innovations to market, the Institute can better scale the impact of its research enterprise to address sustainability and energy challenges.

ISEN supports intensive multidisciplinary team science. With expertise across engineering, natural and social sciences, business, and law, ISEN builds Northwestern’s leadership in these critical fields:

SOLAR ELECTRICITY AND FUELS

CLIMATE AND CARBON SCIENCE

CATALYSIS AND GREEN CHEMISTRY

WATER

SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

SOLAR ELECTRICITY AND FUELS

OBJECTIVE: WE WILL DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION OF INNOVATIVE, SCALABLE SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES AND ACCELERATE THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF SOLAR LIQUID FUELS.

WE WILL

W H Y I T M AT T E R S

The cost-effective integration of innovative solar technologies into

TRANSLATE fundamental discovery and

Solar energy is the most abundant energy

mainstream use will have the same sweeping global socioeconomic

characterization of new classes of materials

resource on earth, and the only renewable

impact as has access to the internet.

for solar capture, with a particular focus on

resource with the capacity to meet our

perovskite and organic, polymer-based materials

growing needs.

Next generation light capture materials will transform everyday

approaches, into applied innovation.

objects – windows, paint, clothing – into solar energy devices.

Solar energy can be effectively disaggregated

Storing solar energy by using it to directly produce liquid fuels

EXPAND the global consortium of university,

from a centralized grid, with important

from carbon dioxide – just as plant life does – will provide

national lab, and industry partners of the

socioeconomic implications for the

high-density, carbon-neutral fuels that will be distributed using

Solar Fuels Institute to develop and scale

developing world.

the world’s existing petroleum infrastructure. Solar electricity

dramatically more efficient light-driven

and fuels research conducted today at ISEN and its partner

catalysts and related technologies for solar

A drop-in, carbon-neutral solar fuel can

laboratories will lead to the ultimate environmentally benign

liquid fuels production by 2030.

leverage existing distribution and utilization

fuel of tomorrow’s economic engine.

infrastructure, with an energy density that’s COLLABORATE with researchers at Argonne

adaptable and cost efficient for transportation

Leading these efforts is the Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy

National Laboratory, accessing world-class user

and storage requirements.

Research (ANSER) Center, a US Department of Energy (DOE)

instrumentation, computational facilities, and

Energy Frontier Research Center, and the Solar Fuels Institute

complementary materials science, chemical

One out of every 50 new jobs added in the

(SOFI), a Northwestern-led global public-private consortium

engineering, and chemistry expertise.

United States in 2016 was created by the solar

united behind the goal of developing and commercializing a

industry. Employment in solar now surpasses

liquid solar fuel.

oil and gas extraction.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

G LO B A L R AC E F O R A B E T T E R C E L L

Northwestern scientists have ignited a global race for the solar cell of the future. They have developed an inexpensive solar cell that uses a crystalline structure called perovskite, and continue to experiment with light-absorbing materials that have lower environmental impact, such as tin instead of lead. The new cells, which are quickly approaching the efficiency of their siliconbased counterparts, carry the added benefits of being less toxic, low cost, and scalable. This scientific discovery integrates solid state inorganic chemistry with solar cell development, and is one of many examples of team-based interdisciplinary research at ISEN.

“Our research is unlocking the global potential of clean, renewable energy. The sun’s enormous energy capacity means that we are only limited by our understanding of how to capture and store it. Photosynthesis in plants provides us with inspiration on how to accomplish this goal, at the scale we need to achieve.” —PROFESSOR MICHAEL R. WASIELEWSKI

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

CATALYSIS AND GREEN CHEMISTRY

OBJECTIVE: WE WILL DISCOVER AND CHARACTERIZE NEW CATALYSTS THAT OPTIMIZE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF INDUSTRIAL AND CONSUMER GOODS.

WE WILL

W H Y I T M AT T E R S

Catalytic agents enable a broad range of chemical reactions that

DISCOVER new catalysts that optimize the

The global market for catalysts within the

are fundamental to industrial and consumer products – from

production of sustainable fuels and chemicals.

chemical and petrochemical industries alone

plastics to pharmaceuticals, soaps to solvents, and fuels to food.

is an estimated $16.3 billion. DEVELOP advanced synthesis processes that

By lowering the energetic hurdle for these reactions, catalysts

enable characterization of unstable catalytic

Catalysis and sustainable materials design

also provide substantial energy and carbon savings during

intermediates.

are critical to the production of high-demand

chemical production. Guided by computational and rational TRANSLATE fundamental discovery science into

chemical reactions that would have been impossible – even

applied innovation, in partnership with industry,

unimagined – just decades ago. Bridging theory with advanced

including chemical and fuels producers.

materials development and synthesis, advances in catalysis represent giant steps in the effort to minimize the environmental impacts of our economy. Leading these efforts is the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science (CCSS), a 30-year research center that bridges academia and industry, and is one of the premier institutes for catalysis in the world.

products, such as environmentally friendly

design, researchers are exploring how to execute and control

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

plastics and fertilizers.

M O L E C U L A R B U I L D I N G B LO C K S F O R A S U S TA I N A B L E W O R L D

Catalysts lower the energetic input for a desired chemical reaction. A critical method for improving the efficiency of catalysts is controlling selectivity. Catalyst surfaces have multiple activation sites that attract a reactant molecule, interact chemically with it, and then release it. Some activation sites create desired reaction pathways, while others may create unrelated, or even undesired, byproducts. An ideal catalytic process is 100 percent selective, expending no energy to produce these secondary (in some cases, toxic) byproducts. Researchers at Northwestern are working to optimize selectivity by coating specific sites with nanoparticle “armor,” thereby eliminating undesired reactivity and lowering the energy and carbon intensity of the entire process.

“By designing catalysts that consume less energy and minimize, or even eliminate, polluting byproducts, we are creating the molecular building blocks for sustainable, global economic growth.” —PROFESSOR KENNETH POEPPELMEIER

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

OBJECTIVE: WE WILL DISCOVER AND DEVELOP MATERIALS THAT ENABLE NEW EFFICIENCIES IN INDUSTRIAL AND CONSUMER MANUFACTURING, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION.

WE WILL Every product carries an embedded energy and environmental

INTEGRATE Northwesternâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s systems design

footprint, determined in large part by its design, component materials,

expertise to effectively advise industry on

manufacture, and re-use.

sustainable product development.

The discovery of new materials is fundamental to sustainable product

LEVERAGE high-powered computational

and process design. Our ability to synthesize materials that use benign

modeling platforms to design and create new

rather than toxic compounds, or those that are earth-abundant rather

materials with specific end-use goals.

than rare, will contribute to the economic feasibility of new green materials over the full lifecycle of products. Likewise, materials like

EXPAND research into nanomaterials that can

thermoelectrics that can efficiently harvest wasted byproducts for

selectively harvest molecules and compounds

re-use are critical in efforts to maximize our productive capacity.

for environmental remediation applications.

Our scientific and engineering potential to replace petroleum-intensive materials like plastics with bio-based alternatives, and to precisely build compounds at the atomically-controlled level, is becoming rapidly feasible, opening entirely new frontiers in materials science for sustainability and energy. Leading these efforts is the Center for Advanced Materials for Energy and the Environment (CAMEE), which is developing new materials for clean energy innovation and environmental remediation.

ISEN THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE. ISENREIMAGINE RE-IMAGINING THE POSSIBLE AND EMPOWERING OUR FUTURE

W H Y I T M AT T E R S Meeting the consumer demand from the growing global middle class will require substantial improvements in the sustainability of products and their component materials. Advanced materials discoveries unlock entirely new areas for economic growth in sectors such as medicine, transportation, and infrastructure.

REINVENTING THE WHEEL

When rubber is heated, it cannot be remolded into a usable product that retains its original durability and elasticity. Northwestern researchers have developed a one-step solution that modifies the way in which the polymers in rubber - chains of molecules arranged to give structure and properties to larger molecules - are linked. The approach uses inexpensive, commercially available components, and is adaptable to a large fraction of these polymers. This could have particular impact for the tire industry. Of the 246 million scrap tires disposed of in the United States in 2015, only about 30 percent were downcycled for markets like ground rubber applications or civil engineering. More than 50 percent were simply burned for fuel. Over 10 percent – 20 million tires – were landfilled.

“My group will dedicate the coming decade to this new line of research it has that much potential.” —PROFESSOR JOHN TORKELSON

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

CLIMATE AND CARBON SCIENCE

OBJECTIVE: WE WILL DISCOVER MORE SUSTAINABLE METHODS FOR THE USE OF FOSSIL FUEL RESOURCES AND IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING AND PREDICTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS.

WE WILL

W H Y I T M AT T E R S

ANALYZE environmental impacts of past

Global energy demand is expected to increase

The world’s energy supply mix will remain heavily fossil fuel-based

warming events and the feedback processes

48 percent by 2040, which makes it imperative

through 2040 according to the International Energy Agency, dividing

regulated by the natural carbon cycle.

to develop cleaner, more efficient technologies for carbon-based fuels, while working to

among oil, gas, coal, and low-carbon or carbon-free sources. STUDY risk mitigation methods for the

replace them with renewable energy sources.

Although energy-dense fossil fuels have significantly contributed to

extraction of unconventional carbon resources

the development of modern global societies, an amplified greenhouse

and novel chemical and geologic techniques

2016 broke the record for the warmest average

effect – as a result of burning fossil fuels – will last for centuries.

for carbon capture and storage.

global temperature that was set in 2015, which broke the record that was set in 2014.

The impacts of amplified warming on global food production, coastal flooding, severe storms and droughts, and other global-scale processes

EVALUATE new approaches for climate

will present a challenge greater than any humanity has yet faced.

adaptation and mitigation, including the

By the end of the century, states in the

A cross-cutting response is needed to predict the rates and patterns

economic implications of carbon industry

Southeast, lower Great Plains, and Midwest

of environmental change and improve our understanding

regulation and investment.

could experience a 50 percent to 70 percent loss in average annual crop yields.

of human vulnerabilities. PURSUE a network of CO 2 monitoring Leading these efforts is the Ubben Program for Climate and Carbon

stations to assess greenhouse gas

A warming climate will exacerbate the spread

Science, which uses an interdisciplinary approach to study climate system

emissions in urban settings.

of infectious diseases, put stress on global

dynamics and develop solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation.

food production, and limit access to potable water. The most severely affected populations will be those in low- to mid-latitude developing counties that have the highest rates of population growth.

ISEN RE-IMAGINING THE POSSIBLE AND EMPOWERING OUR FUTURE

S T U DY I N G T H E PA S T A N D P R OJ E CT I N G THE FUTURE

Northwestern climate scientists monitor and model the pace of global climate change and analyze data from past climates to better understand what the future may bring. Northwestern geologist Yarrow Axford has made 18 trips to Arctic lakebeds to collect sediment cores, some dating back 120,000 years. Axford’s research aims to fill a gap in our understanding of how, and how quickly, Greenland’s glaciers respond to a warming climate. Polar ice melt is an important driver of sea level rise, which threatens the 40 percent of global population that lives within 100 kilometers of a coastline. Another Northwestern climate scientist, Daniel Horton, studies the impacts of climate change in the recent past and projected future. His latest research focuses on air circulation patterns and their regional effects, including the influence of greenhouse gas emissions on the duration of the California drought and eastern US winter cold spells.

“Knowledge is our most powerful tool. We study the past so that we can make more accurate predictions of the future. It is our grave responsibility to determine, as best we can, how a warmer climate will impact the planet.” —PROFESSOR BRAD SAGEMAN

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

WATER

OBJECTIVE: WE WILL DESIGN, SIMULATE, AND INTEGRATE INNOVATIVE MATERIALS AND ENGINEERED BIOPROCESSES INTO WATER SYSTEMS TO ACHIEVE GLOBAL SOLUTIONS FOR REGIONAL AND LOCAL WATER CHALLENGES.

WE WILL

W H Y I T M AT T E R S

LEVERAGE our materials and catalysis

By 2025, 1.8 billion people are expected to face

Water is required for life, yet it cannot be effectively produced. Instead,

expertise to design new technologies for water

water scarcity.

it must recycle through natural reservoirs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including rivers, lakes,

monitoring and processing. The World Economic Forum identified water as

groundwaters, glaciers, and the oceans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; making it a precious commodity. EXPLORE the dynamics of the water-energy

the most critical global challenge for the next

The combination of over-exploitation and ecosystem degradation

nexus and associated technologies and

10 years, with water crises posing the single

threatens the security of freshwater resources and, by extension,

innovative policy options that can unwind

largest global risk for social instability.

human society in many parts of the world. Water scarcity is contributing

system interdependencies. Climate change is expected to further exacerbate

to political instability around the world, including in the Middle East, INTEGRATE theory, data, and models to predict

water crises by enhancing weather extremes in

large-scale, long-term outcomes in complex

many regions, leading to simultaneous increases

While the most commonly recognized challenge is the lack of safe

water-energy-food ecosystems, and enable

in droughts and floods.

drinking water for 700 million people globally, other challenges loom at

safe, efficient, and sustainable management of

the intersection of global water supply, food and energy production, and

water remediation applications.

North Africa, and South Asia.

Urban flooding often represents a chronic challenge to municipalities.

the sustainability of critical natural systems. BUILD global partnerships that give Northwestern researchers access to diverse

The US water infrastructure is antiquated,

environments to develop, test, and deploy

representing the potential for $508 billion in

water solutions.

cumulative economic losses by 2025, and $3.2 trillion by 2040.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

WAT E R S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y AT N O RT H W E S T E R N

Founded in 2015, Northwestern’s Center for Water Research strives to increase opportunities for Northwestern faculty and students in all domains touching on water. It also increases the visibility and impact of Northwestern water research by solving current and emerging grand challenges in water systems sustainability, efficiency, and resilience. The Center will link the University’s water research efforts in basic sciences, technology development, law and policy, and systems analysis and simulation. It also serves as Northwestern’s connection to the City of Chicago’s Current initiative, which aims to make the Chicago region a water hub for economic and technological innovation.

“By seamlessly integrating theory and discovery with application and commercialization, we’re leveraging the full potential of interdisciplinary research.” —PROFESSOR AARON PACKMAN

ISEN RE-IMAGINING THE POSSIBLE AND EMPOWERING OUR FUTURE

RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

OBJECTIVE: WE WILL DISCOVER, TEST, AND SCALE INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS THAT STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE STRESSORS.

WE WILL

W H Y I T M AT T E R S

As we enter an era defined by climate and ecosystem disruptions,

DEVELOP new grid control mechanisms that

Cities currently cover 2 percent of the world

global communities must adapt to new levels of acute and chronic

enable greater penetration of distributed and

but consume 66 percent of the world’s energy

stressors. More intense and frequent storm and flooding events, longer

renewable resources, including microgrids.

and contribute to 70 percent of greenhouse

droughts, and higher global average temperatures, combined with

gas emissions.

outdated or insufficient water and energy infrastructure, are creating

APPLY our understanding of complex ecosystem

conditions in which communities are challenged to adequately

dynamics to implement green infrastructure for

According to the United Nations, nearly all

respond to, and recover from, these shocks.

urban and rural flood management.

global population growth between 2016 and 2030 will be absorbed by cities, stressing aged

Programs like the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities

PARTNER with the City of Chicago, a member of

Initiative have made tremendous early progress in bringing attention

the 100 Resilient Cities Initiative, to iteratively

to the need for robust and flexible urban resilience solutions.

test on-site solutions.

Learning from their example, ISEN can scale existing and emerging technological innovations for energy, water, and ecosystem management to develop region-specific solutions that build community capacity for recovering from, or even preventing, future stressors. Effective solutions will also deliver economic and social value to their host communities—a “resilience dividend”—in the form of economic productivity and improved public health.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

energy and water infrastructure.

C R O S S - E N T E R P R I S E PA RT N E R S H I P S F O R C O M M U N I T Y I M PACT

Critical environmental issues—clean air and water, cleanup of hazardous waste sites, safe drinking water, energy policy, and climate change—drive the work of the Bluhm Legal Clinic’s Environmental Advocacy Center (EAC) at Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law. By tapping expertise from across the University, EAC can leverage scientific, engineering, and social science assets to extend its reach and efficacy.

“Our partnerships with outside organizations, as well as our collaboration across academic departments at Northwestern, allows the work that we do at the Environmental Advocacy Center to have real impact on environmental law and policy. By combining academic rigor with experiential learning, we’re helping to build healthier, more resilient communities.” —PROFESSOR NANCY LOEB

ISEN and EAC have a history of partnership around community resilience projects, including work in DePue, Illinois to advocate for the remediation of toxic materials throughout the residential community, and in LaSalle County, Illinois to assess the effect of sand mines on groundwater supplies and quality. ISEN has also strengthened EAC’s partnership with Chicago’s Elevate Energy to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives in low-income communities.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

OUR EDUCATION

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

IN BRIEF Our curriculum provides a sustainability and energy framework for students to apply to their major field of study during and beyond their time at Northwestern.

ISENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s curriculum is designed to enrich traditional major and minor programs, bridging gaps that currently exist at disciplinary boundaries in natural and social sciences, law and policy, economics, and communications.

Based on the popularity of its existing core curriculum, ISEN will expand its course offerings, with particular focus on applied topics and market trends relevant to students seeking placement in sustainability and energy careers.

The Institute also remains committed to global, experiential, and entrepreneurship-based education, and will continue to expand opportunities for students at Northwestern.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

A STRONG FOUNDATION OF SUSTAINABILITY A N D E N E R GY E D U C AT I O N ISEN undergraduate and graduate courses span topics in sustainability, energy systems and technology, energy use, entrepreneurship, and climate change.

These courses are popular across a broad span of degree programs, providing opportunities for students to fill course requirements through sustainability and energy education. In fact, ISEN courses draw from all academic programs, closely mirroring the overall enrollment demographics for the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s undergraduate student body.

ISENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seven-course undergraduate certificate program is designed for students interested in pursuing a comprehensive curriculum in sustainability and energy. Certificate students represent all six undergraduate schools, and nearly 20 majors and minors. The success of the certificate program underscores the broad interest in sustainability and energy education at Northwestern.

To date, 75 percent of students more than three months after graduating with the ISEN Certificate have entered a sustainability- or energy-related field, including research and development, environmental engineering, sustainability consulting, project development, private equity and venture capital, or an advanced degree program.

ISEN RE-IMAGINING THE POSSIBLE AND EMPOWERING OUR FUTURE

P R ACT I C A L K N OW L E D G E A N D E X P E R I E N C E The Institute utilizes interdisciplinary faculty teams, intensive project- and laboratory-based learning, industry adjuncts, professional development seminars, global exchange programs, and student-to-student teaching to effectively deliver content. Some of these unique programs include:

NUVENTION: ENERGY is a graduate course in clean technology

POWERING THE FUTURE is a graduate-level seminar in which senior clean

entrepreneurship in which students develop commercialization plans for

technology executives lead weekly discussions on current trends in electricity

University intellectual property or original projects, and pitch to an advisory

markets. Twenty-five highly qualified students across masters, PhD, and

board of industry experts. Students hone their critical thinking skills in the

professional (law/business) programs are selected to participate in the seminar

context of project management, customer segmentation, engagement, and

each year. Students gain a better understanding of how technology, finance,

public speaking. Successful teams have won national business plan competitions

and public policy play an interrelated role in both legacy and

and secured millions of dollars in grants and research funding for spin-off

future electricity market models.

companies. This program is offered in partnership with Northwesternâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS, AND POLICY OF ENERGY SEMINARS is a quarterly rotating not-for-credit program taught by students who lecture on topics related to energy technology, finance, and policy. A leadership team of PhD and business students develop curriculum, with stipend support from ISEN.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

D E L I V E R I N G N E W C U R R I C U LU M The ISEN Certificate curriculum provides a solid foundation for broad topic proficiency, with relevance across any career path a student chooses.

For those students interested more directly in sustainability and energy as a professional field, a well-defined curriculum spanning technology, market trends, and political economy can serve as a differentiated advantage for graduates.

For this career-focused cohort, the Institute will develop new upper-level curriculum that will underpin two new ISEN education programs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an Energy Minor and a Sustainability Minor. Each minor will be designed to deliver practical insights that address the rapid pace of technological, financial, and policy innovation shaping global energy and sustainability industries, with a focus on case studies and other experiential projects to provide tangible context to the learning environment. Both minors will culminate in a capstone project.

E N E R GY M I N O R The Energy Minor student will receive a foundation in the core technical

Matching the career focus of the minor program curriculum will be a

elements of our energy infrastructure—electric transmission and distribution

teaching staff that heavily leverages practical expertise. Adjuncts and

systems, fossil and renewables generation, energy efficiency, and energy storage.

lecturers with professional backgrounds in applied sustainability

Students will also receive a firm grounding in applied economics, including

and energy fields will supplement existing faculty expertise, bringing

project finance and market design, and the regulatory landscape that industry

practitioners’ perspectives on industry trends, similar to the model

and future innovators will need to navigate.

used by Northwestern’s School of Professional Studies.

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y M I N O R

The established minor programs will better position the University to compete for prospective undergraduate and graduate students and faculty who are considering multiple peer institutions with degreed sustainability,

The Sustainability Minor student will learn how incorporating sustainability

energy, or environmental academic programs.

can help companies and communities achieve a triple bottom line—one that protects people (social), planet (ecological), and profit (economic). The minor will provide both quantitative and qualitative frameworks for evaluating system sustainability, and firmly orient students towards applications in business strategy and innovation, and conservation science.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

A FOCUS ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP A N D S O C I A L I M PACT In an effort to meet overwhelming student demand, ISEN is growing its social impact portfolio of programs in entrepreneurship and global engagement.

The nexus of the four pillars of the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Strategic Plan - Discover Creative Solutions, Integrate Learning and Experience, Connect our Community, and Engage With the World â&#x20AC;&#x201C; aligns perfectly with the underlying drivers of sustainability and energy, addressing critical needs in climate change mitigation and adaptation, and access to clean water and electricity.

Entrepreneurship and social impact marries two objectives: teaching a pragmatic skillset that spans critical thinking, project management, stakeholder engagement, and public speaking, and imparting an empowered outlook to each Northwestern graduate to affect change in any endeavor s/he pursues.

Anchored in the tremendous success of the NUvention: Energy program, and bolstered by the growth in programmatic and grant-based support like the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) network, the Resnick Family Social Impact Program, and sustainability- and energy-related global study abroad, ISEN will expand its internal and external partner network to build a greater scope of opportunity for any Northwestern student with a passion for change.

P R O F I L E S I N I M PACT SINODE SYSTEMS is a venture-backed advanced battery materials company whose technology significantly improves the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. The company’s technology, a layered composite of silicon and graphene, allows for more efficient and faster-charging batteries, relevant in a variety of markets, from smartphones and portable electronics to electric vehicles. In June 2016, SiNode signed a $4 million contract with Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler, along with the US Department of Energy, to develop its technology for the electric vehicle market. The company was founded by an interdisciplinary team in NUvention: Energy, a cleantech entrepreneurship course offered jointly by ISEN and the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

KHEYTI is a social enterprise that delivers low-

HAZEL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC is a foodtech startup

BEST FOOT FORWARD is a sustainable social

cost, modular, and technologically equipped

that aims to solve the global food waste problem.

enterprise that aims to empower female African

greenhouses to smallholder farmers in India.

The company’s biodegradable technology, a capsule

shoe artisans and link them to US markets. Founder

Led by Saumya (KSM ’17), ISEN’s inaugural

called FruitBrite, doubles the shelf life for fruit

and CEO Caleigh Hernandez (WCAS ’14) developed

Resnick Family Social Impact Fellow, Kheyti aims

and vegetables by inhibiting a plant’s ability to

the idea for her business during two college summers

to increase the earning potential of smallholder

produce ethylene, the hormone that causes them to

spent abroad engaging artisans in conversations

farmers by mitigating the unpredictable effects

ripen and spoil. Hazel Technologies, LLC is funded in

about their business needs—everything from skills

of climate change on their crop yields. Kheyti is

part through a US Department of Agriculture grant,

training to support services for working mothers.

currently working to deliver its “Greenhouse in a

and has raised more than $1 million in funding.

To launch her business while still in school, Caleigh

Box” to a network of 8,000 farmers, integrating

The company spun out of NUvention: Energy, a

worked with ISEN to pitch her social enterprise to the

cutting-edge technologies that blend with

cleantech entrepreneurship course offered jointly

CGI U program, through which she earned $4,000 and

agricultural tradition in India. Kheyti’s partnership

by ISEN and the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship

access to mentors to grow her business. Best Foot

with ISEN connects the company to internal and

and Innovation.

Forward currently supports 36 female and 6 male

external partners, including researchers at the

entrepreneurs, as well as one key supplier.

University and around the world, and industry experts who sit on its Executive Council.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

BUILDING CAREER NETWORKS The future requires emerging scientific, civic, and business leaders with a

The Institute will structure its student career resources around Northwestern’s

deep understanding of sustainability and energy. Opportunities abound for

global alumni network. ISEN hosts semiannual alumni breakfasts on the East

graduates across disciplines, as the utility sector is reshaped by disruptive

and West Coasts, manages a large LinkedIn network comprised exclusively of

technological and business model innovation.

Northwestern alums, and will build new channels to engage alumni through the Institute. ISEN’s support of students pursuing entrepreneurial and social

Coupled with significant market and regulatory trends, including the pace of

impact enterprise development also provides a viable alternative career pathway.

growth in wind and solar capacity and the electrification of the automobile industry, there is no doubt that Northwestern graduates with critical and

ISEN will also secure funds for a matching stipend program for summer

analytical thinking skills, and a well-rounded background in sustainability

internships. Funds will remove compensation as a limiting factor for a student

and energy, will be well situated for career opportunities.

interested in pursuing entry-level professional opportunities in the not-forprofit, government/municipal, and small for-profit spaces.

As ISEN reaches more students through its multidisciplinary curriculum, and by way of its extensive and growing corporate network, the Institute

These steps will establish Northwestern as one of the premier global institutions

is increasingly viewed as a career resource. Providing a consistent talent

for talent development for sustainability and energy industries, supported by an

channel to companies and institutions also deepens partner relationships

actively-engaged alumni community, and a strong corporate partner network.

that support ISEN’s research and engagement mission.

Those same alumni will become ambassadors for ISEN and Northwestern, in a virtuous cycle as the graduate talent pool is continuously replenished.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

Greg Frost, JOUR ‘94

Nat Kreamer, SPCH ‘99

Rennovate America

Spruce Finance

National Communications Director

President and CEO

Jim Armstrong, MCC ‘84 Lockheed Martin Senior Manager, Energy Solutions

Emily Davis, WCAS ‘05

Megan Clifford, KSM ’18 anticipated

Natural Resources Defense Council

Argonne National Laboratory

Attorney, Climate & Clean Air Program

Deputy Director

Marsden Hanna, COMM ‘07

Amanda Myers, WCAS ‘13

A LU M N I S P OT L I G H T

ChargePoint, Inc. Grant Operations Manager

Kristen Brown, TGS ’16 Department of Energy ARPA-E Fellow

Robert Parkhurst, WCAS ‘93 Environmental Defense Fund Director, Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Markets

David Harris, MCC ‘14 McKinsey & Company Consultant, Energy Insights

Katie Ginsberg, WCAS ‘89 Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation Founder and Executive Director

Liz Judge, JOUR ‘01

Google

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Global Energy Policy and Strategy

Communications Officer, Environment Program

Paul Pebbles, KSM ‘99 General Motors Maven CTO, Urban Active Solutions

Emily Northard, MCC ‘16 Bloom Energy Installations Project Manager

Nishit Mehta, KSM ‘13

Tibor Toth, KSM ‘94

Exelon Corporation

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

Manager, Exelorate Growth, Emerging Technologies and Innovation

Managing Director of Investments

Marty Rosenberg, JOUR ‘77 Penton Content Director, Energy

Sara Crane, MCC ‘16 Black & Veatch Environmental Engineer

Andrew Hobaugh, MCC ‘12 Ernst & Young Senior Consultant, Power and Utilities Advisory Group

Ariana Gonzalez, WCAS ‘10 National Resources Defense Council Energy Policy Analyst

John Domagalski, KSM ‘03

Aamir Paul, MCC ‘00

Smart Wires, Inc.

Constellation

Schneider Electric

President

Director, Retail Analytics

SVP US Operations

Gregg Rotenberg, KSM ‘95

Mark Silberg, WCAS ‘14 Rocky Mountain Institute eLab Network Manager

“ISEN has been central to my Northwestern experience, both as a student and now as an alum. I worked with, and for, ISEN in my coursework, research, study abroad, and extracurriculars. I also took advantage of the many opportunities to meet people in ISEN’s network of industry leaders. It’s been critical to build trusting and professional relationships in my role as Network Manager for the Electricity Innovation Lab (eLab) at Rocky Mountain Institute. There’s no better time to start than as a student.” —MARK SILBERG

Glen Merfeld, MCC ‘94 General Electric Product Science Lead, Global Research

David Jordan, TGS ‘14

Vennesa Williams, TGS ‘13

Nalco Water

Dow Chemical

Principal Chemist

Associate Research Scientist

Ariel Drehobl, WCAS ‘12 American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy Research Analyst

Matt Maloney, KSM ‘89

Virginia Galinsky, MCC ‘09

Silicon Valley Bank

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Head, Energy & Resource Innovation

Karen Zelmar, WCAS ‘93 Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Environmental Engineer

Director, Energy Efficiency Programs

Jacqueline Vidmar, LAW ‘88

Julie Rapoport, TGS ’99, ‘02

Christine Cho, WCAS ‘14

Rooney Rippie & Ratnaswamy LLP

Apple

U.S. Green Building Council

Gary Kremen, MCC ‘85 Pace Avenue Executive Chairman

Charles Kuehmann, TGS ‘94 Tesla Motors, SpaceX VP Materials Engineering

Kendra Pickard, MCC ’12, ‘16 BP Subsea Engineer

Partner

Senior Environmental Analyst

Veronica Lee, WCAS ‘14 The Nature Conservancy Creative Specialist

Certification Associate

OUR ENGAGEMENT

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

IN BRIEF The development of formal strategic alliances with both internal and external partners is a primary operating principle for ISEN. Our corporate, civic, and not-for-profit partners help ISEN maximize the impact of its research and programs.

Uniquely, these alliances serve multiple constituencies at Northwestern, providing resources, scale, and expertise to researchers across disciplines. ISEN develops and maintains these partnerships on behalf of the University at-large, which in return offers a rich ecosystem of intellectual and human capital to the beneficiary partner, through a centralized relationship with ISEN.

ISEN also showcases Northwesternâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership in sustainability and energy scholarship through public events and the distribution of original content across digital and print media platforms.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

A L L I A N C E P R O F I L E : T N C G LO B A L C I T I E S P R O G R A M Collaboration between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Northwestern to support urban sustainability and biodiversity on regional, national, and global scales is led by ISEN through a Memorandum of Understanding executed in 2015.

ISEN and TNC have shared goals of improving sustainability for cities,

studies how an undisturbed prairie ecosystem can impact runoff and flooding

with the Conservancy recently launching a thirteen-city urban conservation

in the surrounding urban area. Data derived from the study will be used

program designed to exchange new knowledge and best practices in

to inform the Conservancy’s urban sustainability goals not just in Chicago,

sustainability and resilience.

but also in cities worldwide.

The initial phase of work brings Northwestern’s engineering teams together

The partnership allows a free flow of information among the science teams

with TNC’s conservation scientists to study urban water management.

as specific areas of discovery are developed and tested. TNC’s portfolio,

The site-specific research focuses on the benefits of urban biodiversity

which spans conservation activity in 69 countries, ultimately provides a global

preserves as green infrastructure, and is based at the Conservancy’s Indian

platform for Northwestern researchers.

Boundary Prairies, a cluster of four prairies just south of Chicago, Illinois. TNC is also a member of ISEN’s Executive Council. Northwestern’s Center for Water Research, which operates as part of the Northwestern-Argonne Institute for Science and Engineering (NAISE),

“Our partnership with ISEN and Argonne National Lab is one of the first to combine ‘birds and bees’ conservation science with the latest state-of-the-art technology to improve the quality of life for people living near natural areas.” —BOB MOSELEY, ASIA PACIFIC CITIES PROGRAM DIRECTOR, GLOBAL CITIES PROGRAM

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

A L L I A N C E P R O F I L E : E X E LO N C O R P O R AT I O N In the Spring of 2016, Exelon Corporation and Northwestern signed a five-year Master Research Agreement to support collaborative clean energy innovation. Northwestern has several active master agreements in areas of strategic importance for the University; the Exelon agreement is the first with an electric power company. ISEN stewards the relationship and manages a proposal review committee comprising senior representatives from both institutions. The partnership provides funding for research around a robust project

The partnership will streamline the process for evaluating, testing, and scaling

portfolio, including grid resilience and renewable technology. Within months

scientific discoveries made in Northwestern labs for commercial use. Exelon,

of its inception, the partnership began supporting research focused on

one of the largest competitive US power generators, with nearly 35 gigawatts of

improved solar cell performance. Discoveries in research will have tangible

owned capacity, and 10 million natural gas and electricity customers served

implications on the way energy is produced, distributed, and consumed in

through subsidiary utilities, is an ideal partner to scale basic discovery energy

the United States.

science for systems-level innovation. The partnership signals a long-term commitment to energy innovation, and allows both organizations to capitalize on the opportunities that exist as we transition to a 21st-century grid.

“With the energy landscape evolving faster than ever, Exelon is building relationships with top research centers to create an ecosystem for advancing energy technology and ingenuity. This partnership brings together Exelon’s industry and market expertise with Northwestern’s deep research capabilities. It is an important step in our work to uncover and bring to life the very latest innovations that can benefit our company, our customers, and the communities we serve.” —CHRIS CRANE, EXELON PRESIDENT AND CEO

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

A L L I A N C E P R O F I L E : S C H N E I D E R E L E CT R I C Collaboration between ISEN and Schneider Electric spans all facets of ISEN’s mission. The depth of the partnership is exemplified by a 2016 Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) cooperative research award. This US Department of Energy project will develop and test a new load control architecture for smarter power grids, that enables greater integration of renewable energy.

Schneider Electric strengthened the research by bringing CPS Energy, a Texas-

network, yielding real-time customer data that will accelerate the development

based utility servicing more than one million customers, to the team. The

of next-generation grid solutions.

pairing of academic, manufacturing, and utility resources was a competitive differentiator in the DOE proposal review process. Northwestern researchers

The ISEN/Schneider Electric partnership has also focused extensively

are now able to test new control mechanisms across an active distribution

on student engagement. During the summer of 2016, Schneider Electric led a team of five Northwestern graduate students conducting preliminary assessments of potential sites for the installation of a solar + storage microgrid on Northwestern’s Evanston campus, at Argonne National Laboratory, and at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District. Schneider Electric also sponsors the University’s House by Northwestern team, which was selected to design and build a solar home as part of DOE’s 2017 Solar Decathlon competition.

Schneider Electric is a long-standing member of ISEN’s NUvention: Energy Advisory Board and ISEN’s Executive Council.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

F U T U R E G R OW T H F O R S T R AT E G I C E N G AG E M E N T A critical facet of partnership development lies in identifying, engaging, and

Two other stakeholder groups warrant future ISEN investment:

nurturing relationships with strategic stakeholders. Partnerships built around the researcher-industry/nonprofit collaborator model will continue to provide a

POLICYMAKERS: ISEN will play a more active scientific advisory role among

stable foundation for Institute development and impact.

state and federal policymakers. The reputation of a university as a neutral arbiter of science will be leveraged on matters pertaining to R&D funding, policy

ISENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s integrated marketing and communications strategy engages multiple

support for emerging markets, and the science underlying policy schema â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

stakeholder audiences across digital and print media and social media networks,

both regulatory and incentives-based.

including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The Institute regularly sends original multimedia content including featured research and partner profiles, partnership

ALUMNI: Alumni of the University are among those most willing to lend support

announcements, and topic relevant stories to these core audiences.

to new and ongoing initiatives, particularly those that align with personal or professional endeavors. Beginning in 2016, ISEN expanded its presence on the

In 2017, the Institute launched empower, a semiannual magazine to promote

East and West Coasts to engage directly with regional alumni networks, opening

dialogue between the science community, industry experts, and policymakers

opportunities for the Institute to gain market intelligence and develop broader

around advancing solutions to current challenges in sustainability and energy.

brand recognition and impact. Alumni act as bridges to the organizations with which they are associated, reinforcing ISENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corporate and nonprofit partner network. These alumni can also support ISEN curriculum as adjuncts, and support student entrepreneurship and social impact projects as advisors or subject-matter experts.

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

ACADEMIC YEAR 2015/2016

Completed first-ever University Master Research Agreement with an electric utility – Exelon – to streamline process for commercializing University research

Launched Resnick Family Social Impact Program, which will support student projects with global impact

Added the Center for Advanced Materials for Energy and the Environment to the Institute’s portfolio

Developed five-year strategic plan and identified highest potential sources of long-term financial support for the Institute

Grew Institute’s pipeline of sponsored research funding, including competitive ARPA-E grant focused on grid optimization control architecture

GOALS

Continue to develop internal alliances and joint strategic programming, focused initially on the Pritzker School of Law, Medill School of Journalism, and the Buffett Institute for Global Studies

Work closely with the Innovation and New Ventures Office to evaluate opportunities for commercialization of University sustainability and energy research

Launch empower, an ISEN publication highlighting sustainability and energy scholarship, discovery, and partnerships at Northwestern and across the alumni community

Launch the Ubben Program for Climate and Carbon Science to improve understanding of global climate system dynamics and evaluate low- and zero-carbon alternatives to fossil fuels

Continue to cultivate a growing Northwestern alumni network for sustainability and energy professionals

2016/2017 42

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

Mission timelines are grouped into academic years.

2017/2018

Establish the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science Advisory Board

Renewal of key sponsored grants, including the ArgonneNorthwestern Solar Energy Research Center and the Institute for Catalysis in Energy Processes

Launch two new ISEN Minor programs, for sustainability and for energy; create new programs for students to engage with industry experts

Expand The Nature Conservancy partnership to include global opportunities in the Conservancyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s portfolio; develop new partnerships with natural capital and conservation organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund

Create ISEN faculty lines and hire lecturers and full-time faculty with joint appointment in relevant departments

Continue to develop internal alliances and joint strategic programming, focused on the Institute for Policy Research, the Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Kellogg School of Management

Engage corporate and academic partners to develop a sustainability and energy internship program

Secure fiscal stability for the Institute, targeting a $40M gift Develop a venture fund for campus entrepreneurs, in partnership with the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

2019/2020

2018/2019 ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

A VISION FOR SUCCESS: WHERE WE’RE HEADED By 2020, ISEN will grow the Institute’s impact by notably accelerating the pace of transformational sustainability and energy research and interdisciplinary education across Northwestern’s schools and global networks.

Measurable progress across the Institute’s scientific thrusts - in solar electricity and fuels, catalysis and green chemistry, sustainable materials, climate and carbon science, water, and resilient communities - will be achieved through a systems-based, team science approach, supported by public and private sector funding. The Institute’s mission-driven impact will be augmented through strategic partnerships.

Northwestern’s investment in ISEN will generate additional sponsored research and new donor resources for sustainability- and energy-related research and education. Individual gifts will support the Institute’s operation to sustain its momentum of growth and impact, while University and ISEN leadership cultivate endowment prospects at a higher level, appropriate to the Institute’s long-term potential.

Through the use of integrated marketing and communications tactics, ISEN will build engagement with local, regional, and global stakeholder groups, including students, alumni, other academic institutions, existing and potential donors, policymakers, and public and private sector organizations.

ISEN will operate and build its brand identity as a coherent platform around the University’s extensive sustainability and energy assets. In so doing, ISEN will improve the efficacy of ongoing and future stakeholder collaboration. This is vitally important for all research institutions dedicated to scaling investment in scientific advancements and partnerships needed to transition to a cleaner, more globally sustainable future.

BRUCE STEPHENSON Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer at SSL MDA Chair, ISEN Executive Council

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

DEMETRIA GIANNISIS ISEN Managing Director

ISEN REIMAGINE THE POSSIBLE. EMPOWER OUR FUTURE.

DEMETRIA GIANNISIS Managing Director 847.467.0863 demetria.giannisis@northwestern.edu JEFF HENDERSON Associate Director 847.467.1972 jeffhenderson@northwestern.edu

INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY AT NORTHWESTERN (ISEN) 2145 Sheridan Road, Suite L410 Evanston, IL 60208 847.467.1475 isen.northwestern.edu @ISENatNU

/ISENatNU

ISEN RE-IMAGINING THE POSSIBLE AND EMPOWERING OUR FUTURE