University Times

A $22 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation aims to spur new commercial activities and help make western Pennsylvania a national center for energy research and education.

The gift, one of the largest foundation gifts ever received by the University, will bolster research and teaching in the Swanson School of Engineering’s Center for Energy.

Center for Energy director Brian Gleeson, the Harry S. Tack Chair in Materials Science

Established in 2008, the Center for Energy is dedicated to improving energy technology development and sustainability. The center leverages the energy research and expertise of more than 70 faculty members in the departments of chemical engineering, chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, geology and mechanical engineering and materials science.

In announcing the gift Feb. 9 in Benedum Hall, Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg said, “This transformative gift will be invested in new faculty and graduate fellowship positions, laboratory infrastructure and in the development of new programs in research and education.”

Nordenberg said the gift, which is payable over three years, not only will enable Pitt to attract the best faculty and students, but also will provide state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in which they can work.

Center for Energy director Brian Gleeson, the Harry S. Tack Chair in Materials Science and a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science in the Swanson school, said the grant also would advance the center’s partnerships with regional and national corporate partners and with national laboratories including the National Energy Technology Laboratory.

Nordenberg said the grant followed a two-year process in which foundation leaders and representatives of the Center for Energy, the Swanson school and the University enlisted a consulting firm to evaluate the Center for Energy in comparison to other programs in the nation.

“That study resulted in a report that helped us develop a strategic plan for capitalizing on existing strengths and for expanding efforts that have the highest potential for the greatest impact. The study also included a regional industry survey to determine how well Pitt worked with regional energy concerns,” Nordenberg said.

With the information and the funding, “We now are in a position to move quickly to achieve ever-higher levels of impact and stature for both our Center for Energy and for the region,” he said.

Gleeson said, “As an energy center, we can’t do everything,” noting that the study identified key areas of strength to build on. The focus will be on core competencies in five areas of research: advanced materials; energy delivery and reliability; carbon management and utilization; direct energy conversion and recovery, and unconventional gas resources.

Gleeson said training also would be part of the focus, noting that workforce development is another facet.

In a prepared statement, Mellon Foundation director Scott D. Izzo said, “The level of our investment reflects our confidence in the academic and administrative leadership of the University. The center has tremendous potential to make an impact in Pittsburgh, as energy will be the major driver of our regional economy for years to come.”

Gerald D. Holder, Pitt’s U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering, said that energy represents the defining technical, political and social issue of the 21st century, noting that the field was among the main focuses in planning the future direction of the Swanson school.

“Today we celebrate what is arguably the single most critical investment in our energy plan from a new partner in our efforts. ”

The funding will help set the University on a path “to become recognized as one of the most important centers for energy in the nation,” Holder said.

Gregory Reed, associate director for the Center for Energy and a faculty member in electrical and computer engineering, said, “Our students are inspired and motivated by the tremendous opportunities that await them in these exciting and dynamic disciplines. They view the power and energy sector as a place where they can truly make a difference and have a positive impact on improving the world for future generations. … We look forward to the continued growth and development of our programs into a nationally recognized leading institution in power and energy delivery and reliability.”

Citing prior Mellon foundation contributions including funding for the establishment of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, the joint Pitt-Carnegie Mellon Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition and the Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research at Children’s Hospital, Nordenberg credited the foundation with making “another magnificent contribution to the advancement both of the University and this region that is our home.”

The good financial news was announced in the shadow of recent cuts in state support for the University and the threat of additional reductions in next year’s state budget, prompting the chancellor to direct some sharp comments toward Harrisburg.

“It appears that there are those in the state capital who might say if Pitt can attract such generous foundation support, it clearly does not need any state money,” Nordenberg said.

“It just doesn’t work that way. Without a strong and well-supported School of Engineering, there would be no Center for Energy. And without a strong Center for Energy, we never would make it through the assessment process to receive this grant. And without the grant and the work that supports it, our collective efforts to make western Pennsylvania one of the energy capitals of the world would be diminished,” he said.

“So, if our energy sector really does sit at the heart of shared hopes for regional economic development, this is a great day for the region and it is a day in which leaders should be thinking about investing more heavily in research universities rather than diminishing their existing support.”

Nordenberg said cutting state funding for research universities while at the same time touting the important economic role played by technological advances in fields such as energy, nanotechnology, quantum computing and biomedical research “just doesn’t fit.”

Such fields often are cited as areas of economic hope for the region, “But we’re going to basically cut dramatically the funding for the institution that is driving innovation in those areas,” Nordenberg said.

“We really are in it together,” he said. “Failure to continue investing in research universities, in their work, in their students, is a long-term bad strategy for the region. And with cuts this deep it may be a short-term bad strategy for the region.”

—Kimberly K. Barlow