Penley Panel

This issue of Competitive Edge spotlights some recent work of Colorado scientists related to clean energy. The implications of their work are of real importance to all who care about the health of our planet and environmental sustainability.

Research like this only happens when there are scientists with the training and expertise to conduct it. Their work does more than energize college classrooms; it also draws industry to the state and creates jobs.

In outlining his 2006 priorities in his State of the State Address, Governor Bill Owens spoke to the importance of attracting such high-quality jobs to Colorado. In today's economy, many of the most attractive jobs are in information technology and the biosciences; in 2004, the average biosciences worker earned $77,500, compared with the national average median household income of $43,527.

This isn't news to most of us, but many of us would be surprised to know that, as a state, we're not doing all we can to grow these high-quality jobs in Colorado. Consider the following:

• Fact: Despite recent good news for our state's revenue and employment picture, Colorado has been losing jobs in science and technology to other states.
• Fact: It costs more to educate a scientist than it does to teach a history major. But in Colorado, colleges and universities receive the same amount of state funding for both.
• Fact: It costs more to educate a graduate student than it does to educate an undergraduate. But in Colorado, the funding system doesn't explicitly recognize the costs and differential costs of graduate education.
• Fact: CSU is where most Colorado students in science and technology get their training— outpacing all other Colorado campuses.
• Fact: In the late 1980s, CSU had the resources to meet the state's demand for a trained workforce - not today. But Colorado still needs those jobs.
• Fact: Colorado now spends its higher-education dollars in ways that don't contribute significantly to the state's science and technology workforce.
• Fact: Colorado, with Referendum C's passage, is building the money it needs for its higher-education budget to support its science and technology workforce; we just need to invest it differently.

The truth is, our current state system of funding higher education actually penalizes those institutions that offer higher-cost programs in science, math, technology, engineering and critical areas such as nursing. Yet these are the programs that are most important to attracting high-quality jobs!

As the state works to encourage job growth and attraction of key industries, it also needs to determine how to more effectively invest in the educational mechanisms that are essential to supporting those goals.

You can learn more about this funding paradox and the challenges it has created for our state's research universities here.

Larry Edward Penley
Chancellor and President

New Clean Energy Technologies Help Ease High Costs, Increase Efficiency

In an era of rising utility costs and a growing desire for a secure energy future, there's good news coming out of Colorado State:

• CSU's new Distributed Power Generation Research Center, the first such center of its kind in the nation, is developing a low-emissions, high-efficiency engine that could improve the reliability of the electrical power grid.
• The Materials Engineering Laboratory has developed a manufacturing technology to produce low-cost, high-power photovoltaic solar cells, creating a reliable and inexpensive renewable energy source that could greatly reduce the world's dependence on fossil fuels.
• Colorado State is involved in a regional Clean Energy Cluster, which develops partnerships between private companies and the public sector to foster mutually beneficial energy efficiency, innovation, and economic development.
• EnviroFit, born out of the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, is responding to staggering air pollution in Third World countries by retrofitting engines with conversion kits that vastly reduce hydrocarbon emissions while increasing fuel efficiency.
• The multidisciplinary Institute for the Built Environment continues to work with the construction industry to foster stewardship and sustainability of the built environment.
• By purchasing wind power, the university is saving thousands of dollars per year in utility costs and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 542,000 pounds per year.

For online information about these programs and others profiled here in The Edge, check out the following sites:

• Engineering and Economic Development
• Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory
• Institute for the Built Environment
• Wind-driven energy initiatives: Facilities Management
• Photovoltaic research and development

Clean Energy - One University's Global Impact

In a number of countries outside the United States, the name "Colorado State University" is very well known:

• In Egypt, where CSU conducted a monumental, long-term water project funded by the nation's government.
• In South Korea, where some of the nation's top government officials are CSU alums.
• In parts of Africa, where CSU researchers are directly involved with battling devastating infectious diseases.

Working on an international level has always been a special focus for Colorado State -- whether taking the form of specialized lab research, early faculty involvement in piloting the Peace Corps, or legendary President William Morgan's work on the Marshall Plan.

But a University that aims to be a global player today needs to do more than just reach out to the international community; it also needs a focused institutional commitment to solving some of the planet's greatest challenges, from creating new sources of clean energy to managing invasive species. In today's global economy, such problem-solving comes as the result of international partnerships and outreach.

As part of its strategic plan, Colorado State is committed to growing areas of study that address global challenges -- and to creating international partnerships to face those challenges. The university has sought like-minded institutions that share its vision and values for higher education in areas such as China, Argentina, Chile and Mexico.

CSU President Larry Penley visited China last fall to create agreements with a handful of universities to work together on projects related to the environment. Colorado State signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Beijing Normal University, China Agricultural University, the Graduate University of the China Academy of Science and the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

With the prestigious China Academy of Sciences, the focus will be on interdisciplinary research of the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State, specifically focusing on carbon sequestration and the environment. When Dr. Penley met with the Minister of Education, Minister Zhou Ji specifically lauded the approach of CSU in working with Chinese universities, and he went on to praise CSU's China initiative for its focus on the environment and on areas where CSU has very special capacity in forests, grasslands and monitoring, including environmental indicators such as ultraviolet radiation, carbon and nitrogen.

Colorado State also has memoranda of understanding with 53 institutions in South and Central America, 16 in Mexico. Most are related to biomedical sciences, agricultural sciences and natural resources. In total, the university has about 260 international MOUs on every continent in all areas of scholarly activity. In addition to faculty connections, many of the agreements involve students, both undergraduate and graduate, doing some form of research project abroad.

Colorado State's commitment to international collaboration is part of its strategic plan, which dictates four strategic research initiatives, or superclusters, focused on environmental sustainability; food, nutrition, health and well-being; infectious disease and biomedicine; and information science and technology.

An example of this, familiar to readers of Competitive Edge, is the university's Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, in the College of Engineering, which is directly addressing and providing solutions for chronic health and environmental issues affecting billions of people in the Third World. More efficient engine technology developed in the lab has led directly to improvements in air pollution in the Philippines. Envirofit International Ltd., a Colorado non-profit corporation that develops and disseminates technologies that reduce pollution and promote energy efficiency in the developing world, has signed its first major agreement to retrofit 3,000 two-stroke taxi engines in the town of Vigan.

Engineering researchers in the engines lab worked closely with the College of Business to create Envirofit because of the complexity involved in transferring high-tech solutions to developing nations.

Now those colleges have formed a new center with the hope that it will create more companies like Envirofit - companies that license technological advancements created at Colorado State to address the health and welfare of the Third World. The new Global Innovation Center for Energy, Health and the Environment will focus on the developing world's chronic environmental needs that often do not capture the attention of relief organizations.

CSU is looking for problems that have huge impact, according to Bryan Willson, a mechanical engineering professor who runs the Energy Conversion and Engines Lab. In his words: "Big needs, big markets."

Northern Colorado Initiates Clean Energy Cluster

A new public-private energy efficiency program in Northern Colorado is working to counter tough energy problems related to record summer heat, power demands and brownouts throughout the nation.

Local energy-technology companies and CSU's College of Engineering have joined together to demonstrate how to better use existing energy resources to save energy, reduce costs and lessen environmental impacts. The vision of the Clean Energy Cluster of Northern Colorado is to develop a partnership among private companies and public institutions that fosters mutually beneficial energy efficiency, innovation, and economic development. About 25 faculty in CSU's College of Engineering work in the areas of clean energy research and development.

A recent nationwide study showed that Northern Colorado is one of the best places to be involved in a broad array of clean energy efforts. In the Innovation-Entrepreneurship Nexus study, which examined a decade of data from 394 regions of varying sizes across the country, Fort Collins finished No. 1 overall in the rankings of the most innovative and entrepreneurial regions in the United States. The study - which measured entrepreneurial activity among new and growing companies during an 11-year period; innovation based on the number of patents, research, and development dollars spent; and number of high-tech industries -- was commissioned by the federal Small Business Administration and the Edward Lowe Foundation, a Michigan-based entrepreneurial support organization.

Colorado Company, CSU Seeking to Expand Manufacturing of Solar Cells

The sun is a key player in photovoltaics research, an inexpensive renewable energy source that can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Photovoltaics has the potential to better meet the energy needs of the world's 6 billion people, one-third of whom live without electricity.

CSU Professor W.S. Sampath and his research group at the University's Materials Engineering Laboratory have developed a manufacturing technology to efficiently produce photovoltaic solar cells, which can be one of the most affordable and efficient energy sources of the future. Without moving parts or external fuel, photovoltaic devices directly convert absorbed sunlight into electrical current. The high-powered devices produce no waste or pollution, and the cost of manufacturing photovoltaics has the potential to be less than $1 per watt of electricity generated, competitive with current methods of electricity generation in most parts of the United States and the world.

Expanding the use of photovoltaics historically has been limited by the lack of manufacturing volume, scarcity of construction materials, and other issues. Solar cells must be manufactured like other mass-produced items to become available and affordable to the mass public.

With the help of a Colorado company called AVA Technologies, photovoltaics has the potential to move into the world of mass production and become one of the most environmentally clean and cost-effective energy sources available. The Department of Energy's Invention and Innovation grant, developed for individuals or small businesses, is providing financial and technical support to AVA Technologies to continue its key work in energy-saving concepts and technologies. Talks now are under way with several large, multi-national companies to mass produce solar cells.

Other Energy Answers Are in the Wind

CSU recently made a one-year commitment with Xcel Energy to purchase wind power as the sole energy source for 20 university buildings. By purchasing more than 300,000 kilowatt-hours of wind power for buildings located on Colorado State campuses throughout the state, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by nearly 542,000 pounds per year and the university will save almost $4,700 per year in utility costs.

Hunt Lambert's Start-Up Spotlight

Outside-In, Private/Public Startup Cooperation: The SunSource Industries Algae-to-Biodiesel Case

There are few things in the world harder than a university's job of finding markets for new technologies. One of the things that qualifies for this dubious distinction is to take a technology from outside the University and turn it into a University program. Sometimes we get lucky and we find a startup that is perfectly aligned with one of our global challenge areas and where a professor has a passion for, expertise in and interest in advancing both the invention and the innovation of the idea.

SunSource Industries, Inc. is one of those cases. I met Jim Sears last summer and we talked about an idea he synthesized from his engineering background and his review of over 20 years of phycology research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The idea is simple: grow algae and turn it into liquid fuels to relieve dependence on foreign oil and consume greenhouse gasses. Since algae can be 100 times more productive as an oil source than soybeans, the opportunity to use poor farmland with saline water can be a huge economic boon for Colorado, the country and the world. The implementation is hard: Which algae for what climate and time of year? How to grow algae protected from invasive species? How to feed the carbon and nutrients needed at the right temperature and in the right amounts? How to separate mature algae from the growing crop? And how to separate the oil from the algae, how to turn the oil into biodiesel and how to get the product to market?

We have found an elegant team approach to a solution and are in the process of putting all the pieces of the program together. SunSource and Colorado State University's College of Engineering Engines and Energy Conversion Lab are teaming up for R&D to advance the technology and prove that a working system can be built. Two of our MBA teams are writing business plans for the equipment and producer-business opportunities. Colorado State University's Office of Economic Development is helping connect SunSource with potential executive team members and funding sources, and the Colorado State University Research Foundation is negotiating the licenses of required IP back to SunSource.

While the path is fraught with risks, it is worth the challenge. In the worst case, the world finds out how to exploit a new form of greenhouse-gas-friendly renewable energy using solar power and photosynthesis to generate liquid fuels. In the best case, we all participate in what could be a billion dollar opportunity that brings green back to hundreds of square miles of farmland, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and lowers the total greenhouse gas impact of the energy. In essence, we are learning how to do in real time what took millions of years to produce the oil we burn now.

Stay tuned!

Hunt Lambert is Director of the Office of Economic Development at Colorado State University. He can be reached at hunt.lambert@business.colostate.edu.

Sign up for Short Course in April on "Infrastructure Design for Security"

Colorado State's civil engineering faculty are providing a short course on Infrastructure Design for Security in cooperation with the American Council of Engineering Companies at CSU's Denver Center April 20-21.

Current design codes aren't oriented to consider catastrophic forces, and engineers need design guidance for large forces outside the limits of expected loads. These may include low-probability hazards from natural disasters (earthquakes, wind, floods, and associated phenomena) and human-induced threats from terrorism, normal accidents, and outbreaks. Engineers need design guidance for. Areas to be covered in the course include risk-based concepts such as redundant design, buildings and structures, energy infrastructure, water and wastewater systems and transportation systems.

Businesses that want to connect with the College of Engineering on this or other issues can learn more here.

Water and Energy Conflicts Highlight Produced Waters Workshop April 4-5

Colorado State University will host a Produced Waters Workshop April 4-5 at the Marriott Hotel in Fort Collins to stimulate dialogue about the opportunities and challenges that revolve around produced water in the West and the possibility of converting water produced during oil and gas extraction to beneficial use.

Produced water is water brought to the surface during energy extraction and is often not suitable for irrigation, drinking or other beneficial use. The water is re-injected back into the subsurface at a cost to energy companies. The current Western land conflict is between those who own mineral rights and those who own surface rights - and the workshop will explore the technical, legal and economic issues of treating produced waters to the point where the water can be used on the surface, thus enhancing local water supplies.

Mark Limbaugh, assistant secretary for Water and Science in Department of Interior, will give the keynote address. The workshop will also address the opportunities for local land owners to benefit from enhanced water supplies for little or no extra cost to energy companies and ultimately aim to reduce the tension between the mineral and surface owners.

An optional tour of a local produced water treatment facility will available to participants on April 6. Registration is required for the tour.

The Produced Waters Workshop is presented by Colorado State University, Bureau of Reclamation, Family Farm Alliance, National Institutes for Water Resources, Ruckelshaus Institute of Environmental and Natural Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey.

To register online or to receive additional information and a complete workshop schedule, click here.

State Business Leaders Offer Lessons of Success

Top Colorado business leaders stopped by the CSU campus in early March to offer students a little of their life experience - and a few lessons in how to run a successful operation.

Successful employees perform their jobs well, enjoy what they do and exhibit loyalty, was the message from Pete Coors, chairman of Coors Brewing Co. and vice chairman of Molson Coors Brewing Co., who served as capstone speaker at Business Day - a long-standing tradition in the CSU College of Business that allows students to hear from industry experts about careers and life lessons.

"You have to start somewhere," said Coors, noting that one of his first jobs at his family business was as trainee in the waste management plant. "Every job is important."

Coors has served in a number of positions at the company. In 1993, he was named vice chairman and chief executive officer for Coors Brewing Co. In 2002, he became chairman, Coors Brewing Co., and chairman of Adolph Coors Co.

The merger of Coors and Molson last year was a good move, Coors said. "We are totally focused on building the business we have and paying down our debt," he said, noting that the company will continue to seek global opportunities despite intense competition from significantly larger companies Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Miller Brewing Co. "It's like a cat eating an elephant. It'll take us a while to digest it."

Chad McWhinney, president and CEO of McWhinney Enterprises -- the developer of more than 2 million square feet of office, industrial, medical, retail and residential properties in Northern Colorado and Southern California -- told students he got his first business experience as a kid when he and his brother created a roadside strawberry stand. They grew it into a $1 million venture by the time he left high school.

Vision needs to be bold, passionate and measurable, he told students.

CloudSat Prepares to Launch

CloudSat is preparing to launch this month! The CloudSat satellite, a $160 million NASA Pathfinder program, will fly in formation with four other satellites.

Each satellite contains specialized instruments that will examine the composition of clouds. CSU Professor Graeme Stephens and a team of scientists from around the world will be at Vandenberg Air Force Base outside Santa Maria, California, to watch the satellite as it's launched into space via a Boeing-built rocket.

To learn more, visit the CloudSat website.

Good News for Denver: The Return of the Mile-High Showdown

The hottest ticket in Colorado will be back in Denver in September when the CSU Rams and the CU Buffalos take the field once again at Invesco Field at Mile High for the first time since 2002. Holding this popular in-state football rivalry at Invesco allows greater number of fans to join in the action. The Metro Denver Sports Commission has announced that the two state schools will meet at 3 p.m Sept. 9, 2006, MST, in a game that will be nationally televised on College Sports TV. Tickets will be included in each school's season ticket package, with individual tickets going on sale in June.

The universities signed a three-year agreement with the Metro Denver Sports Commission and INVESCO Field that ensures the game will stay in Denver through 2008. The agreement includes options that could extend the deal to 10 years. After this year, the game will be played the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 1, 2007, and Aug. 30, 2008).

The MDSC has formed a Local Organizing Committee, chaired by MDSC board member David McReynolds, to host several community events around the game, including a golf tournament and a coaches' kick-off luncheon.

National Study Predicts Gloomy Picture for State Budgets

Despite sunnier economic forecasts from many quarters, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education has issued an analysis predicting ongoing fiscal stress for all U.S. states over the next eight years. The analysis projects spending and revenues for 2005-2013 and foresees budget crunches that are likely to have a significant impact on public funding of higher education. You can check out the report here.

This study follows on the heels of a report from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, an independent group that tracks college trends, that ranked Colorado No. 3 in the nation for overall performance of higher education relative to funding and No. 1 in the country for research universities. This indicates that public institutions - particularly Colorado State University and the University of Colorado - have done well in stretching available dollars in spite of budget cuts to higher ed over the past several years.

Greenhouse Industry Honors CSU Dean

The Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association recently named Marc Johnson, CSU's Dean of Agricultural Sciences, as the "Nurseryperson of the Year" for his work in communication, support and active partnership with the green industries of Colorado.