Chair Sutley Visits Cornell Fuel Cell Institute and Energy Materials Center

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit my alma mater, Cornell University, to speak at the annual Net Impact Conference.  The conference brought together students and professionals from around the U.S. interested in sustainable enterprise and environmental stewardship, and allowed participants to share best practices and discuss new initiatives to advance global sustainability through entrepreneurship and innovation.

Dr. Hector Abruna shows Chair Sutley an ultra-high-vacuum chamber for coupled electrochemical and surface studies of single crystal electrocatalyst materials for fuel cells at the Cornell Fuel Cell Institute. November 14, 2009.

While at Cornell, I had the opportunity to check out the Cornell Fuel Cell Institute and the Energy Materials Center, a U.S. Department of Energy designated Energy Frontier Research Center. Héctor Abruña, the director of the Center presented some of their fascinating advances in fuel cell technology and told me about Cornell’s partnerships with major companies to develop efficient, high-performance batteries and fuel cells for industry and consumer products.  These technologies have an amazing potential to revolutionize our transportation and energy sectors.

Chair Sutley speaks with Dr. Frank DiSalvo, Dr. Paul Mutolo, and Dr. Hector Abruna about the importance of research universities. November 14, 2009.

Needless to say, I really appreciated the opportunity to get a back-stage tour of the University’s fuel cell labs and enjoyed being back on campus.  Research universities all over the U.S. are doing groundbreaking work in developing clean energy technology and training the next generation of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.

Nancy Sutley is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality