Abstract
I will describe the key features of the Initiative launched by President Janet Napolitano to achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2025 at all 10 campuses of the UC System. The unprecedented scale and scope of this ambitious project presents some unique challenges and opportunities both for operations and for research, which I will describe and place into the context of current and future trends of energy efficiency, renewables and alternative energy technologies, as well as related economic and policy issues. In addition, I will summarize the outcome of a workshop held at UCSB in early October that brought together representatives from all 10 campuses and three national labs to develop the research agenda for this initiative.
Biography
Prior to joining UCSB, David Auston was the first President of the Kavli Foundation, dedicated to supporting basic scientific research in astrophysics, neuroscience and nanoscience. He has been a member of the technical staff and department head at AT&T’s Bell Laboratories (now Alcatel-Lucent Technologies), Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics and Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University, Provost of Rice University, and President of Case Western Reserve University. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering. A native of Toronto, Canada, David Auston earned bachelors and masters degrees in engineering physics and electrical engineering from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.