Maybe St Louis will be the next Canada?!

WU to build center for $55 million
By Rachel Melcer
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/05/2007

THE GOAL: Cut 'greenhouse' gases, slow global warming.

PARTNERS: Include MU and Danforth Plant Science Center.


Washington University said Monday that it is spending more than $55 million on a biofuels and sustainable energy research center that could heat up the local economy while helping to cool the world.

It will be known as the International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability, or I-CARES. Its creation marks one of the most significant financial contributions Washington University has made in a dozen years, said Mark Wrighton, who has been chancellor for that length of time.
"It's not unique for a university to be saying it's going to be working on energy, environment and sustainability," Wrighton said. "What we're striving to do is create the infrastructure in our region so that (it) becomes seen in America as one of the key regions of this research.

"It should be a place where people look for expertise, for human resources … and where we spawn the development of new (energy) technologies that will lead to improvements within existing companies and new companies," he said.

The goal is discovery of innovations that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions and slow or halt global warming. Scientists will seek ways of making the most from existing fuel sources, such as ethanol and coal, while developing new ones.

I-CARES will be a focal point for research collaboration among Washington University, the University of Missouri-Columbia, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in Creve Coeur and a consortium of international academic institutions.

A committee of local business leaders will provide advice on how to make their scientific work relevant and easily transferable to industry. Members include executives from agribusinesses Monsanto Co., Solae Co. and Bunge North America; energy companies Ameren Corp., Peabody Energy Corp. and Arch Coal Inc.; manufacturer Emerson; and brewer Anheuser-Busch Cos.

Many of these partners came together a year ago, when Washington University led a bid for a $125 million federal biofuels research center. Two or three such sites will be selected this fall by the Department of Energy — but the local group didn't want to wait.

"We'd like to get real on-the-ground collaborations that start now, rather than waiting for the future to roll around. … It's time to pull this together and make a statement," said Roger Beachy, president of the Plant Science Center and chair of Gov. Matt Blunt's Advisory Council for Plant Biotechnology.

The Plant Science Center is creating the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels with $25 million donated by Jack and Susan Taylor. Its plant science work will dovetail with cross-disciplinary approaches taken by Washington University teams. The University of Missouri adds agricultural expertise and land where experimental crops for biofuels production can be grown.

I-CARES will include several elements:

•A $40 million building to house the center, key pieces of equipment as well as Washington University's department of energy, environmental and chemical engineering. It will be constructed on the northeast corner of the Danforth Campus; until it is complete, I-CARES will reside in that campus's Wilson Hall.

•An endowment of at least $12.5 million to fund professorships in science, engineering, architecture, social science or medicine that contribute to the I-CARES goal.

•At least $2.5 million over five years to develop collaborative research within the university and with its regional and international partners.

•Plus, $500,000, previously announced by Wrighton, to support collaborative projects with universities in Asia and the Middle East that belong to Washington University's McDonnell International Scholars Academy.

In addition, the university is hiring a "sustainability officer" and providing cash to improve its own energy efficiency and support green programs on campus.

"If we're declaring we're at the forefront of this knowledge and its application, I felt we should be a role model for the region. And if we can be more efficient in our use of energy, it's good for the environment, and it's good for our financial position," Wrighton said.

He first studied sustainable energy technology in the 1970s and, ever since, has held the issue dear.

"Energy in large amounts, affordable in price and with low environmental impact, is going to be vital to the future of the world," Wrighton said. "We owe this to young people so that they have prospects of a very bright future for themselves, for their children and their grandchildren. This is an area of vital importance, and I think it's important that we get on with it."

rmelcer@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8394