6 minute read
Educating Undergraduates
Yiguang Ju
Certificate Programs
The Andlinger Center offers two certificate programs that cater to students of all majors and backgrounds. The Program in Technology and Society: Energy Track is jointly run by the Andlinger Center and the Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education. The curriculum has a strong social science component and the coursework explores the intersection of technology and society, and how their coevolution affects innovation in energy technologies. The Program in Sustainable Energy is geared toward students who want to pursue graduate degrees in technical fields, and enables students to quantitatively analyze and design sustainable energy systems. The curriculum focuses on alternative fuels, advanced energy conversion and storage systems, and emerging innovations, and typically includes laboratory work in addition to site visits.
Andlinger Center Certificate Symposium and Class Day Celebration
Acknowledging the difficult circumstances of the past year, Andlinger Center Director Lynn Loo praised the resilience and adaptability of the center’s 14 graduating seniors in the annual Class Day ceremony on Monday, May 24, 2021.
“You all were grappling with remote classes, thesis research, the loss of family and friends, and even fellow students,” said Loo, the Theodora D. ’78 and William H. Walton III ’74 Professor in Engineering and professor of chemical and biological engineering. “And yet, you are here, where classes of students have stood before you, celebrating the outstanding accomplishment of earning a Princeton degree, and a certificate in an area that will serve you and allow you to serve the world, striving for a better future for all.”
The Senior Thesis Prize in Energy and the Environment was awarded to Alex Kaplan, a senior in the Program in Sustainable Energy, for his research on using a laser to convert methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, into hydrogen that could be used for fuel or energy storage. Typically, hydrogen is produced using steam reformation of methane, an energy-intensive process producing large amounts of CO2. The laser technique promotes a reaction that breaks the methane into hydrogen gas for use and solid carbon, avoiding CO2 emissions. Kaplan was advised by Claire Gmachl, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering.
Yiguang Ju, the Robert Porter Patterson Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and director of the Program in Sustainable Energy, said that Kaplan’s approach “provides a promising low-emission hydrogen production pathway.”
The graduates embarked on their next adventure to apply what they have learned to remediate energy and environmental issues of all types. Rei Zhang, who studied nitrogen dioxide pollution in the United States, applies the analysis skills gained during her senior thesis in her role as an air quality engineer for Ramboll. Five of the graduating certificate students are pursuing master's of engineering degrees at Princeton, building upon their senior theses by undertaking further studies in their fields in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Alex Kaplan
–Aneesha Manocha, a junior and president of PUEA, who is also pursuing a certificate in sustainable energy.
An Army Cadet’s Journey to Energy
What started as an elective course for one Army cadet, became an area of deep interest that would influence his academic and career path for years to come. "Materials for Energy Technologies and Efficiency," taught by Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment Claire White, was the first course Nick Cefalu took after finishing general educational prerequisites. It delved into various technologies used in buildings, transportation, and the power sector, from sustainable concrete, White’s own research specialty, to LEDs, batteries, solar, and carbon capture. He was fascinated by the diversity of materials and the applicability of the curriculum. As a student of civil and environmental engineering, he went on to complete the requirements to earn a certificate in sustainable energy. For his senior thesis, Cefalu studied the supply chain for the rare earth metal lithium in the United States, a key component
Nick Cefalu
of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) today, and something that GM and Tesla are exploring as demand for EVs and electrifying transportation increases. His research found that there is a significant amount of geological lithium in the United States, but how to recover it sustainably and profitably remains unclear. He highlighted the possibility of recovering lithium from the brine used in oil wells, which is usually discarded, instead of mining for the mineral. Cefalu was advised by Michael Celia, the Theodora Shelton Pitney Professor of Environmental Studies and professor of civil and environmental engineering. After completing his military service, Cefalu hopes to work on clean energy and energy conservation programs at the Department of Defense.
Supporting our Student Community
The Andlinger Center actively supports student organizations and their endeavors. One specific organization, Princeton University Energy Association (PUEA), is aligned with the mission of the Andlinger Center. PUEA’s Princeton Energy Conference 2020, “Where Will We Go From Here? Energy Implications and Futures Beyond COVID-19,” focused on a range of topics, from energy policy and justice to technologies that can help bring about a low-carbon future. The two-day conference featured opening remarks by Z. Jason Ren, acting director of the Andlinger Center, and professor of civil and environmental engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Ryan Edwards, former Andlinger Center Maeder Fellow and now a policy adviser at Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, spoke on the carbon capture and storage panel alongside Chris Greig, the Theodora D. '78 and William H. Walton III '74 Senior Research Scientist. Harry Warren and Judi Greenwald, both former Gerhard R. Andlinger Visiting Fellows and current non-resident fellows, each played a role in moderating a panel on renewable energy and speaking on alternative technologies, respectively. Greenwald is now executive director of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance. Elke Weber shared her expertise in decision-making behavior on the energy policy panel.
Course Updates and Highlights
In the 2020-21 academic year, 22 courses crosslisted with the Andlinger Center were offered across a range of eight departments, including astrophysical sciences, chemical and biological engineering, operations research and financial engineering, and Near Eastern studies.
Materials for Energy Technologies and Efficiency
Taught by Claire White, the course focused on new materials that are mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. The class discussed how materials science is used in energy technologies and energy efficiency, including solar power, cements and natural materials, sustainable buildings, batteries, water filtration, and wind and ocean energy. Some of the topics explored are nanomaterials, composites, energy conversion processes, cost implications, life-cycle analysis, and material degradation.
(NEW!) Optimization for the Design and Analysis of Energy Systems
Taught by Christos Maravelias, the Anderson Family Professor in Energy and the Environment, and professor of chemical and biological engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, the course delved into the basic principles underpinning energy systems. Students learned the basic theory, modeling techniques, and software tools for optimization, and gained an understanding of how such optimization methods could be applied to design and analyze energy systems.
Claire White packages canola oil to be dispensed with other lab items in boxes to ship to students for remote learning during the pandemic. The oil is used to demonstrate how the sensible heat capacity of materials can be used to store energy. (Photos by Frank Wojciechowski)
