UConn Touts Leadership, Innovation in Building Sustainable Future

/

It was hard to miss.  A half-page advertisement on page 9 of The New York Times Sunday edition.

The subject:  the University of Connecticut’s “Innovating to Secure a Sustainable Future Powered by Clean Energy” including “10 Ways UConn and Connecticut are Making an Impact.”

The prominently placed ad, which included a photograph of a young school-age child looking up at a wind turbine, is alongside a list of past and present impacts that the university has had in the field.  As the ad states:

“For more than a century, UConn and the state of Connecticut have led remarkable efforts to combat the devastating effects of climate change and secure a sustainable future powered by clean energy.”

The top 10 list highlighted in the ad:

  •          First Commercial EVs

  •          Astronauts to the Moon

  •          Solar Panels on the White House

  •          Fuel Cell Energy

  •          Industry Collaborations

  •          Clean Energy and Sustainability

  •          Environmental stewardship

  •          Carbon Neutrality

  •          Microgrid Solutions

  •          Education and Research

The ad describes Connecticut as “a global leader” in the field, “powered by scientists and entrepreneurs at UConn,” adding that the university is “developing, demonstrating, and deploying innovative technologies to move us toward independence from fossil fuels and fortify our power grid against severe weather and other risk factors.”

A website established to amplify the “10 ways” includes an introduction by UConn President Radenka Maric, which explains “I came to UConn in 2010 to lead scientific breakthroughs to develop, demonstrate, and deploy new green technologies as part of a push to propel Connecticut onto the international stage in sustainable energy. Since then, I’ve been proud to witness and be part of major breakthroughs in these efforts.” 

Maric points to “the opening of the Innovation Partnership Building and establishment of the Eversource Energy Center to the recent selection of UConn as the home of the U.S. Department of Energy’s national Onsite Energy Technical Analysis and Support Center."

The site indicates that “UConn is embracing the challenges and offering solutions that transform the future of our global society” adding “we’re just getting started.”