Proposal Title: Phase VI: Climate Change and Energy: Basic Science, Impacts, and Mitigation Science Initiative
Institution: University of Kansas Center for Research Inc.
The project deals with two challenging problems, the accelerating impacts of global climate change and the pressing need for renewable energy sources. The impact of global climate change is critically important for grasslands, which provide food, fiber, and environmental services to human societies. The challenge of renewable energy relates closely to and strongly impacts the first challenge. Understanding these two interrelated phenomena and their consequences is critical to managing natural resources, growing economies, enhancing human health, and improving the quality of life. This proposal is a multi-institutional, multi-sector partnership. It links four universities in the State of Kansas: Kansas State University (KSU), University of Kansas (KU), Wichita State University (WSU), and Haskell Indian Nations University; two economic growth organizations: Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC) and the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA); four Kansas-based companies: Abengoa Bioenergy, MGP Ingredients, White Energy, and Nanoscale; and two companies outside of Kansas: ADM (IL) and Netcrystals (CA). Intellectual Merit. Four Target areas are described by the Basic Science working group. Social scientists will model climate variables and human variables. Target 1 addressed the climate variables, including evaluating the effect of human land cover change on the climate system. Target 2 addressed the impact emanating from crop decisions made by farmers. Information provided in Targets 1 and 2 leads to the natural scientists? evaluation of an agricultural product closely tied to climate issues, biomass, and its conversion to biofuels, and the basic science fundamentals of solar energy conversion by photosynthesis and manmade technologies, Targets 3 and 4. The Impacts Working Group will assess the impacts of climate changes on farmlands in Kansas, including indigenous farmlands, a less studied area. A life cycle analysis will be used to examine how both biofuels and solar energy-derived electricity can be interfaced or leveraged to achieve a greater balance of alternative energy sources. In the Mitigation Working Group, the foundations laid by the other two Working Groups will provide for more efficient, next-level answers to climate and energy issues. Broader Impacts. The initial focus of the study is pertinent to both the economic as well as the science and technology goals of the State of Kansas, the outputs and outcomes of these studies are expected to be of interest globally: the climate modeling and assessment linked with the improved cyberinfrastructure development, the new photovoltaic devices for generation of electricity, and the improved engineering technology for the efficient utilization of biomass. The project will also broaden the nation?s science and technology workforce by educating young aspiring scientists and by training them to be tomorrow?s scientists and engineers. As part of the education initiatives, underrepresented groups comprise a significant part of the program, including the underprivileged students of the McNair program and the Native American students and tribal college faculty of the Pathways program. One goal of the project is to establish the State of Kansas as a leader and a preeminent international center for knowledge and technology in global climate change and renewable energy.
