Chancellor's Corner - October 2007
In our research labs, in our classrooms, and in the halls of our government, I hope you'll embrace our call for innovation and action as your own.
Chancellor James L. Oblinger
Embrace our Call for Innovation and Action as Your Own
In my "State of NC State" address in September, I announced the university's commitment to playing a leadership role in answering the world's energy needs while preserving the environment. We talked about how our faculty and researchers are driving innovation in the research lab including breakthroughs like Centia – a process for converting oils from animal fat into jet fuel – and efforts to find new ways to transform crops, wood chips and agricultural wastes into feedstocks for biofuel refineries.
But NC State's commitment to solving energy challenges is about more than research. It's about dedicating our campus – our entire campus – to answering the world’s energy needs while preserving the environment.
At an early age, environmental sciences student Abraham Sutfin learned the importance of valuing his resources. When money was tight in his Pittsburgh home, he treated his possessions like they would last a lifetime, knowing that he might only receive them once. These days, he’s urging his fellow students to apply that same philosophy to the planet through the Wolfpack Environmental Student Association.
“We’re not going to be a club that’s just going to say, ‘We want recycling in every place on campus,’” he told us. “We want to make more of a difference in the way that campus thinks and what they think about environmental issues.”
We’re heartened that, for many years, our faculty, students and alumni have been at the forefront of that effort. When Abraham Sutfin started the WESA this fall, more than 100 students joined the organization, a number he attributes to the sheer “want” for an environmental movement on campus. Many more pledged to learn more about the impact of their daily actions on the environment by putting their names on the “Contract for the Environment,” a joint project with the Campus Environmental Sustainability Team. Over the years, our students have hosted forums on sustainability, traded spring break at the beach for conservation projects in Belize and designed award-winning solutions to help Habitat for Humanity build green. WE Recycle - once the service vision of a Caldwell Fellow, Paul Mobley - has become a national model for recycling at football stadiums.
These students understand that, as a campus and as a global society, the fragility of our nation’s energy resources demands our focus and expertise. North Carolina imports virtually all of our fuel sources, diverting billions of dollars to out-of-state sources. Nationwide, rising fuel costs, heavy dependence on foreign oil, and environmental concerns have sparked new interest in alternative fuels and alternative sources of energy. The impact of our actions on climate change took center stage last week when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and former Vice President Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to raise awareness about global warming. One of our former students and faculty, Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, has been a pioneer in that effort as chair of the IPCC.
We’re putting new resources into the search for solutions to these pressing issues. We’ve appointed an Energy Council of students, faculty and staff to help chart our course. They’re working to build partnerships across campus and private industry, and to develop new academic opportunities for our faculty and our students. This month, for instance, the Office of Undergraduate Research is reviewing undergraduate proposals for $50,000 worth of energy-related research awards for the 2007-2008 academic year. We’re also hiring as many as 30 new faculty members in related fields.
There are no easy answers to these issues. While policymakers search for ways to bring solutions into law, we believe that sound policy must begin with sound research and open dialogue. So we’ll be fostering both. Besides providing new faculty support for research endeavors, we’ll be inviting global leaders and experts to speak on campus. On Oct. 23, U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman will give a campus seminar on US Energy Programs and Policy, addressing questions from students and faculty.
In our research labs, in our classrooms, and in the halls of our government, I hope you’ll embrace our call for innovation and action as your own. It might mean seeking out volunteer opportunities with conservation groups or forging partnerships with government agencies to research new alternative fuels. Together, we can build a brighter, more sustainable future for our campus and our world.
Thank you for all that you do for NC State,
James L. Oblinger