CSUB federal award a ‘breakthrough’ for energy research

DOE funds also will recruit under-represented groups to the geosciences

By California State University, Bakersfield

December 15^th, 2022

In a “breakthrough” for the exploration of clean energy solutions and the quest to diversify the ranks of the nation’s geoscientists, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced Wednesday $2.25 million in support for a collaboration between California State University, Bakersfield and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that has far-reaching implications for climate goals, job production and opportunities for students in our region.

As the lead institution, CSUB will receive $1.7 million over three years and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will receive $555,000. The program, which will launch in February, will create a pathway between the two institutions and allow CSUB students to access LBNL laboratory resources, research experience and long-term mentoring.

“CSUB is committed to securing a future for energy that will respect our climate, produce thousands of high-paying jobs and recruit more women and students of color to careers in science,” said CSUB President Lynnette Zelezny. “With this expression of support, the Department of Energy is putting Kern County at the forefront of energy innovation in our state and nation.”

In August, Dr. Liaosha Song — assistant professor of geological sciences and a key researcher with the university’s California Energy Research Center (CERC) — submitted the proposal to the DOE's Basic Energy Sciences division for the “Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce” (RENEW) initiative. Song’s proposal focused on research he is conducting at CSUB on hydrogen storage, a promising practice that allows large-scale clean energy storage in the effort to achieve carbon neutrality.

“This project represents a breakthrough,” Dr. Song said. “Of all the five proposals funded this year through DOE Basic Energy Sciences Program, this is the only one in California.”

Dr. Anthony Rathburn, interim director of the California Energy Research Center at CSUB and chair of the Geological Sciences Department, said the Department of Energy grant is a major step forward for regional research.

“This is the first DOE grant of its type involving the California Energy Research Center, and we appreciate the interdisciplinary synergy of the research team led by Dr. Song,” he said.

The CERC is working with several industry partners, government leaders and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on a number of projects to write the next chapter in Kern County’s proud history of energy production.

“This project aligns perfectly with CSUB's focus on emerging solutions in energy and will significantly advance the research, student engagement and outreach goals of the California Energy Research Center,” Dr. Rathburn said.

But just as important as the research and progress toward carbon neutrality is the project’s goal of recruiting under-represented students to the Earth sciences, the least diverse of all STEM fields, according to a 2018 study conducted by the University of Texas, Austin, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

In 2018, of those who graduated from a U.S. university with a bachelor’s degree in Earth and physical sciences, 21% were women, 12% were Hispanic/Latinx, and 5% were Black/African-American.

“There is an urgent need to recruit, train and retain a new generation of geoscientists from minority-serving institutions that are recognized as largely untapped pools of talent,” Dr. Song said in the proposal.

Within the initial three-year program period, the goal is to increase the number of geoscience graduate applicants from CSUB, one of the most diverse campuses in the California State University system.

Beyond the three-year period, CSUB hopes to provide new career pathways for students from under-represented groups to join Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory or other university or national laboratories funded by DOE’s Basic Energy Sciences program.

A new course will be implemented at the university, taught by instructors from CSUB and LBNL, that will recruit and train students in cutting-edge approaches to understanding Earth materials for sustainable energy goals. Students also will have the opportunity for internships, research, peer-to-peer engagement and geoscience-focused career guidance.

Joining Dr. Song and Dr. Rathburn in the CSUB program are Dr. Junhua Guo, Dr. Matthew Herman, Dr. Tathagata Acharya and undergraduate and graduate students from the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering.

The CSUB/LBNL award is one of 41 announced by the DOE Wednesday. The awards, totaling $32 million at 37 institutions, support historically under-represented groups in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and seek to diversify American leadership in the physical sciences, including energy and climate.

“The next generation of American scientists and engineers will be charged with solving some of the world’s most vexing problems, and that group will only be stronger for this initiative’s efforts to help ensure there are pathways to the STEM fields for previously underrepresented groups,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The RENEW program will bolster the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to solving some of the world’s biggest scientific challenges and providing opportunities for those who historically haven’t had them.”