Governor Ted Strickland's Advanced Energy Visit to OSU
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Location: College of Biological Sciences Riffe Building
Purpose: Event was scheduled at the request of the Governor's office to showcase some of the advanced energy research being conducted at The Ohio State University.
OSU Participants
| E. Gordon Gee, President |
| Curt Steiner, Senior VP for University Relations |
| Robert McGrath, Senior VP for Research |
| Rich Hall, Associate Dean, College of Biological Sciences |
| Greg Washington, Interim Director, IEE |
| Kate Bartter, Associate Director, IEE |
| Jim Lynch, Director, Media Relations |
| John Reeves, Chair, Department of Microbiology, College of Biological Sciences |
| Robert Tabita, Ohio Eminent Scholar, College of Biological Sciences |
| Stephen Myers, Director, Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center |
| Steven Ringel, Neal A. Smith Endowed Chair in Electrical Engineering |
| L.S. Fan, Distinguished University Professor, C. John Easton Professor in Engineering |
| Giorgio Rizzoni, Director, OSU Center for Automotive Research |
Agenda and Summary of Presentations
Governor Stricklandwas greeted by President E. Gordon Gee
2:00 - 2:05 Greg Washington gave the Governor a brief overview of the advanced energy research he was about to see at OSU
2:05 - 2:15 Steve Ringel gave the Governor a brief overview of his research related to photovoltalics, including a model of atoms that constitute materials for solar cells; semiconductor "wafers" whose properties are designed to achieve very high conversion of sunlight to electricity; an example of a finished "laboratory solar cell"; a packaged "flexible solar cell"; and a working ultra-low power usage LED stoplight.
2:15 - 2:20 Stephen Myers told the Governor about work through the Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center related to developing bio-based substitutes for petroleum-based products. Stephen performed a brief demonstration designed to showcase uses of soybean oil for energy and materials.
2:20 - 2:25 L.S. Fan briefed the Governor on his work related to clean coal technology, including effective capture of carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants and processes to efficiently convert coal into hydrogen, liquid fuel, or electricity. These processes are expected to be able to significantly boost Ohio's competitiveness in the energy field.
2:25- 2:30 Giorgio Rizzoni talked to the Governor about the fuel cell vehicle parked outside, student automotive competitions and other innovative research at OSU related to energy and transportation.
2:35 - 2:45 The Governor toured the Microbiology Fermentation Facility, which is located in the Riffe Building and used to make hydrogen and other bioproducts. Bob Tabita explained basic molecular research focused on determining how microbes assimilate carbon dioxide and the mechanisms by which they produce biofuels. This basic molecular research is needed to help establish how to improve these microbial processes apply them for bioenergy production.
2:45 - 3:00 Media was available in the Fermentation Facility, Riffe Building
