EEM Newsletter Spring/Summer 2019
2019 SEAS Graduation Celebration
Dozens of GW Environmental and Energy Management graduates and their families celebrated their achievements in front of almost 5,000 spectators at the SEAS Graduation Celebration, conducted in the Smith Center on Friday evening, May 17, 2019. The 2019 graduation Celebration marked the 137th year of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the 198th year of the George Washington University. This year SEAS graduated almost 1,000 students, and close to 40% of SEAS undergraduate class were women, about twice the national average.
News of EEM Students and Graduates
EEM Master of Science graduate Bruk Berhane recently earned his Ph.D. degree and assumed a positon as Assistant Research Professor in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.
EEMI Research Professor Confirmed by U.S. Senate as Assistant Secretary of the Army
Research Professor Alex Beehler, who spent the last three years with the Environmental and Energy Management Institute, was confirmed earlier this year as the new Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment.
In his March 14, 2019 swearing-in ceremony in the Pentagon, Secretary of the Army Mark T. Esper said that, in his new position, Alex has responsibility for policy and oversight of all sustainability and environmental operations of the most impactful organization in the world.
EEMI Conducts Symposium on Human Population
The Environmental and Energy Management Institute conducted a Forum entitled “Tackling the Population Taboo: Creating a Sustainable Future for Our Children” in the Lehman Auditorium on April 9, 2019. EMSE Professor Jonathan Deason kicked off the event with a welcoming address. EMSE Research Professor Joe Cascio was instrumental in organizing the event, which was attended by a number of GW students.
EEMI Presents Research Results on Micronuclear Energy Potential
On January 29, 2019, the final report of a research study conducted by the SEAS Environmental and Energy Management Institute was released at a Capitol Hill event attended by 165 people, including three members of Congress. EEMI Research Professor Alex Beehler was the Principal Investigator of the study. Research Professor Joe Cascio (EEMI co-Director and co-PI) presented a summary of the study, which assessed the feasibility of using microreactors (very small nuclear reactors providing power in the range of 2-10 MWe) by US military forces.
EEMI Successfully Kicks Off Online Professional Development Program
During February and March 2019, the EEMI Professional Development Program added its first entirely online course to its short course lineup. The course, entitled “On the Road to Mass Market Electric Vehicles,” was taught by Professor Julian Bentley to 51 practicing professionals, following a face-to-face pilot version of the short course that was taught by Professor Bentley in the Science and Engineering Hall on February 13-14, 2019.
EEMI Conducts Symposium on Environmental Decision Making for Graduate Students at Top Chinese Universities
On February 12, 2019, EMSE Professors Jonathan Deason and Joe Cascio conducted a symposium on Environmental Decision Making in Room 2000 of the Science and Engineering Hall as part of the two-week 2019 Winter Leadership Training Camp sponsored by the International Fund for China’s Environment.
EEMI Professor Plays Major Role in Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition Research Conference
Dr. Rachael Jonassen, Director of the EEMI Climate Change Program, was an instrumental part of the world’s first international research conference on carbon pricing that was held in New Delhi, India on February 14-15, 2019. The conference, organized by the World Bank Group’s Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition (CPLC), attracted participants from around the world. It featured over 30 researchers that were selected via a competitive “call for papers” led by an international scientific committee.
GW Named Among Top Universities for Renewable Energy
Based on a 2019 survey of 944 college and university campuses from 19 states and Washington, D.C., by the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, GW was ranked the top-most university for purchasing renewable electricity from off-campus projects.
Renowned Conservationist Jane Goodall Works with SEAS Students and Faculty on “Virtual Jane” Project
In May 2019, Dr. Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace, and a pioneer in wild chimpanzee behavior, visited GW to build a new educational platform that will use virtual reality to spread her message of environmental conservation to future generations. The project, called the “Virtual Jane,” is housed in the GW Innovation Center in Tompkins Hall.
Newsletter Editor: Seth Barna
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