Projects
Fungal Upcycling of Waste Plastic Film
Awarded: 2023 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
A research team is investigating the potential of fungal degradation to break down plastic into biologically tractable carbon and will evaluate the impact of this technology at scale.
Impact of CO2 Mineralization on the Evolution of Storage-Rock Microstructure
Awarded: 2023 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
Two researchers are investigating the fundamental link between mineral precipitation and dissolution in porous microstructures and developing a model to predict site-specific assessment and optimization of CO2 injectivity, leakage potential, and ultimate storage or mineralization capacity of underground formations.
Next Generation Floating Offshore Wind Turbine
Awarded: 2023 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
A research team is working to make floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) commercially viable in the near term by creating a turbine with lower overall weight, reduced mechanical loads, and lower buoyancy requirements than existing FOWT designs.
Piloting a Global Youth Storytelling and Research Lab
Awarded: 2023 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
This project is launching The Global Youth Storytelling and Research Lab, which will be a transnational research ecosystem that will engage youth leaders in climate and environmental justice research.
Rational Design of Bio-Inspired and Earth-Abundant Catalysts for Carbon Dioxide Reduction into Fuels and Fine Chemicals
Awarded: 2023 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
A research team is using computational techniques to design and test earth-abundant iron-based sulfide catalysts for CO2 conversion into fuels and fine chemicals.
Sustainable and Just Pathways to Agrivoltaics in Pennsylvania
Awarded: 2023 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
This project is investigating the social, economic, and environmental impacts of agrivoltaics in Pennsylvania, with the goal of developing best practices for the co-location of solar panels and agriculture.
Understanding Compound Stressors and Stakeholder Tradeoffs of Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change in the Colorado River
Awarded: 2023 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
A team of researchers is developing new capabilities in synthetic weather generation and improved agricultural modeling to understand how climate change and agricultural adaptation will affect water availability in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
Understanding the Material Impacts of Restoration on Landscapes and People in Africa: Learning Cases from Malawi
Awarded: 2023 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
This project is developing an integrated methodology to measure the socio-environmental outcomes of forest landscape restoration in Malawi, with the goal of informing policy and practice on restoration monitoring.
Understanding the Scope, Drivers, and Energy Justice Implications of Solar Adoption in the United States Wastewater Sector
Awarded: 2023 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
This project is developing a database of wastewater treatment plants with solar adoption data and a statistical model to explore potential drivers of solar adoption, with the goal of understanding the energy justice implications of renewable energy adoption in the wastewater sector.
A Data Science Approach for Scaling Synergistic, “One-Touch” Building Retrofit Solutions
Awarded: 2022 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
A research team is supporting just and inclusive energy transitions in low-income housing by informing policymakers on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve health.
A One-Stop Online Platform for Water-Energy-Food Nexus Research: Integrating Systems Modeling and Deep Learning-Based Literature Mining
Awarded: 2022 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
Researchers are developing a one-stop platform that would aid stakeholders in finding, sharing, and utilizing existing resources to develop systems models for water, energy, and food nexus research.
Connecting Policies to Actions for Creating Just, Biodiverse, and Climate-Resilient Urban Forests
Awarded: 2022 | Project Type: IEE Seed Grant
This project is investigating how to create just, biodiverse, and climate-resilient urban forests in response to recent decreases in urban forest cover and ongoing environmental challenges.