Mike Toney

Building a just future: Why graduate research must include energy justice

Susan Glairon — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 23:17:35 +0000

Building a just future: Why graduate research must include energy justice Susan Glairon Mon, 11/25/2024 - 16:17

Susan Glairon

In a comment published in “Nature Chemistry,” on Nov. 25, Casey Davis, a chemistry PhD student, along with her advisor, Mike Toney, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science, and others, argue that universities must integrate energy justice into graduate curricula and research.

CU �鶹ӰԺ spoke with Toney and Davis about energy justice and the importance of preparing graduates to tackle these challenges in their careers as the world transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

What is energy justice?

Davis: Energy justice means ensuring fairness in how energy is produced and used, as well as addressing past harms experienced by disadvantaged communities.

Can you explain the social aspects of energy justice?

Davis: Community solutions involve engaging with communities to understand their needs, rather than having scientists and policymakers make decisions in isolation. For example, while coal is harmful, communities reliant on it for jobs and the local economy may have different perspectives. Addressing their concerns can foster broader support and accelerate progress, rather than facing resistance.

Mike and I have worked to integrate this focus into our fundamental research, which I find very rewarding.

Toney: As an example, one of the first-year chemical engineering graduate students, Summer-Solstice Thomas, is proposing to specifically engage local communities impacted by Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or so-called “forever chemicals,” in her graduate research aimed at improving membranes to remediate PFAS.

Why do graduate students need to understand energy justice?

Davis: Students who understand both the scientific and social aspects of climate change will develop better and more implementable solutions to address environmental challenges in ways that minimize harm to vulnerable communities and address previous injustices.

In STEM, PhD students often focus on their specific science and don’t have all the skills needed to contribute to a just energy transition. For example, students working on renewable energy may learn how batteries work, but not about the negative impacts of mining the materials needed for them.

What are some of these potential negative impacts?

Davis: Sourcing materials and establishing sites for renewable energy can negatively impact adjacent communities in ways similar to fossil fuels. For example, the cobalt mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for lithium-ion electric car batteries, has led to severe injustices, including child labor and mining deaths.

Casey Davis

How have scientists historically approached energy justice?

Toney: Historically, many scientists, including myself, have only superficially addressed this issue. However, there is a growing awareness among early-career scientists about its significance. We need to integrate these considerations into our technical work. Recently, there’s been a significant increase in student interest in energy justice. In my experience, recent engineering students are particularly passionate about energy and environmental justice.

Davis: This growing demand highlights the need for professors and academic institutions to consider these concerns more in their teaching and research. It’s essential to address these issues in graduate school, where future scientists and engineers are trained. By teaching students the importance of energy justice and how to incorporate it into their work, they can apply these principles in their careers, whether in industry or regulatory agencies like the EPA.

Are there barriers to integrating energy justice into research?

Davis: PhD students might hesitate to add this new focus due to concerns about extending their graduation time and potential pushback from advisors. Additionally, some journals and reviewers have been resistant.

Toney: Incorporating these concepts at the PhD level has been challenging, but Casey and other students have successfully integrated energy justice into their research, receiving positive feedback during exams. In my generation, nobody really ever thought about this.

Professor Mike Toney

How can these barriers be overcome?

Davis: Solutions should be tailored to each institution, but incorporating more diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is essential, a point that we discuss more in the Comment. Schools can develop interdisciplinary programs and hire faculty who support these approaches to encourage a culture shift. Equity can become part of the curricula and dissertations of science graduate students. While it’s challenging, these incremental changes have significant impact. We’re already seeing progress.

What is changing in CU �鶹ӰԺ’s graduate program?

Davis: Mike is encouraging me to incorporate energy justice into my dissertation. This sort of support from professors is necessary for graduate students to begin to develop a holistic understanding of how their work fits into larger issues such as climate justice.

Toney: CU �鶹ӰԺ is proposing a new approach to graduate education through an NSF grant proposal. The plan integrates fields like communications, business and social sciences into PhD programs, giving students across disciplines a broader understanding of engineering and science. This multidisciplinary training prepares our students with the tools needed to apply these concepts in their careers end enable a just energy transition. I see this as expanding engineering education to include broader training which would extend into the undergraduate level.

This approach will better equip our graduates to make a more significant, holistic impact in the world.

How will you be integrating energy justice into graduate curricula here at CU �鶹ӰԺ?

Toney: I will be teaching a new one-credit class Spring semester on “Energy Justice in Engineering.”

Do you have a vision for how incorporating energy justice at a college level might evolve?

Davis: I envision energy justice becoming integral to STEM education, where students not only learn science and engineering concepts but also understand its social implications. Solving climate change is also about addressing social issues. If we resolve social inequalities, it would significantly advance our climate goals. For instance, equitable public transportation reduces emissions and supports broader access. It’s about creating a more abundant and connected community.

In a comment published in Nature Chemistry on Nov. 25, Casey Davis, a chemistry PhD student, along with her advisor Mike Toney, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science, and others, argue that universities must integrate energy justice into graduate curricula and research.

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CHBE students shine with prestigious awards and honors

Susan Glairon — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 18:55:49 +0000

CHBE students shine with prestigious awards and honors Susan Glairon Mon, 11/25/2024 - 11:55

Emma Aldrich, a member of the Sprenger Group, received a Division 15 Oral Presentation Award at the 2024 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting, held Oct. 27-31 in San Diego. The award included a $600 prize.

Tom Chaney of the Toney Group has been selected for the American Chemical Society's Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium and invited to present in the oral session at the 2025 Spring ACS Meeting in San Diego on March 24 and 25.

Luis Kitsu of the Toney Group was named a Graduate Student Award Finalist for the 2024 Fall Meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS).

Delaney McNally, an undergraduate student in the Anseth Lab, earned first place in the Food, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology VIII category of the national poster competition at the 2024 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) annual meeting, held Oct. 28-31 in San Diego.

Tanvi Pati, an undergraduate student in the Hind Lab, earned first place in the Food, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology category of the national poster competition at the 2024 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) annual meeting, held Oct. 28-31 in San Diego.

Paula Pranda, a member of the White and Hayward labs, was selected as a recipient of the 2025 Peebles Award for Graduate Student Research in Adhesion Science. The award provides partial support for attendance at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Adhesion Society.

Nathanael Ramos, a member of the Holewinski and Medlin Groups, has been awarded a Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) fellowship. Ramos will begin his research at Pacific Northwest National Lab in December.

Nidhi Thite of the Randolph group was recognized by the Journal of Pharmaceutical Science as an "Outstanding Early Career Scientist.”

A roundup of chemical and biological engineering students who won prestigious awards and honors this semester.

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Discovery could lead to longer-lasting EV batteries, hasten energy transition

Susan Glairon — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 19:35:49 +0000

Discovery could lead to longer-lasting EV batteries, hasten energy transition Susan Glairon Thu, 09/12/2024 - 13:35

Batteries degrade over time, which is why older phones lose power faster. An international team led by Professor Mike Toney has uncovered the cause of this degradation, paving the way for improved batteries that could extend the range of electric vehicles and advance clean energy storage.

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New materials research at CU �鶹ӰԺ will help develop high-efficiency solar cells

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 19:50:29 +0000

New materials research at CU �鶹ӰԺ will help develop high-efficiency solar cells Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/19/2023 - 13:50

Researchers in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering Program have published new findings in Joule that could lead to the development of better hybrid lead halide perovskites – a class of materials proposed for use as low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells.

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Michael Toney and Ryan Hayward receive $699,000 award from the Office of Naval Research/DoD

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 22:31:06 +0000

Michael Toney and Ryan Hayward receive $699,000 award from the Office of Naval Research/DoD Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/20/2022 - 16:31

Ryan Hayward

Michael Toney

Professors Michael Toney and Ryan Hayward of chemical and biological engineering and the Materials Science Engineering Program received a one-year Office of Naval Research/DoD award for $699,000 for “Small- and Wide-angle X-ray Scattering to Probe Functional Organic Materials.”

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Work of Seth Marder, Mike Toney and Wilson Smith included in DOE's $400 million award for clean energy technologies

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 22:26:12 +0000

Work of Seth Marder, Mike Toney and Wilson Smith included in DOE's $400 million award for clean energy technologies Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/29/2022 - 16:26

The DOE has awarded $400 million for research into clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing through 43 Energy Frontier Research Centers, six of which feature 13 Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI) members, including ChBE professors Seth Marder, Mike Toney and Wilson Smith. RASEI is a joint institute between CU �鶹ӰԺ and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

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