Energy and Environment Initiative selects leader

By Wesley Chou     9/11/13 7:00pm

Former Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy at the United States Department of Energy Charles McConnell has been chosen by Rice University to lead its Energy and Environment Initiative, an organization focused on developing sustainable energy technologies.

McConnell said he and E2I will expand current partnerships with Houston corporations and create new ones.

"A lot of research funding in the past has been based on government funding and government grants," McConnell said. "The National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and, of course, the Department of Energy still provide many grants. But in light of current factors, such as the desire to balance the government's budget and the tightness of fiscal constraints, such government funding will not be the same growth vehicle as before."

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McConnell said E2I's activities will reach beyond on-campus activities and into both citywide and global scales.

"We want to extend this to local communities," McConnell said. "They should be involved with companies since they are the ones most directly affected, whether the technology involved is fracking or carbon sequestration. One step beyond that is extending that globally because many foreign companies come to Houston to learn about our new technologies."

McConnell said transformative technologies which combine more efficient fossil-fuel technologies with economically sound renewable energy sources must be developed. 

"While the definition of sustainability is definitely rooted in environmental motives," McConnell said. "There is also the [long-time] competitive advantage that it brings to industry."

University Provost George McLendon said he was pleased by McConnell's entry into E2I.

"We are delighted to have a person of [McConnell's] stature and experience to help lead E2I," McLendon, a professor of chemistry, said.

Director of Rice's Center for Energy and Environmental Research in the Human Sciences Dominic Boyer said McConnell has the ability to unite disparate groups on campus, in business and in government.

"The great thing about being able to hire someone like [McConnell] is that you have a terrific combination of industry and government," Boyer, a professor of anthropology, said. "He's very open, listens well and is obviously a very good leader in that he's able to work with many different people and take their interests toward common goals. So not only is he the right profile and background, he has the right personality."

According to E2I Executive Committee Chair Pedro Alvarez, E2I's goals range from funding to outreach.

"E2I will provide seed funding for faculty clusters to develop new areas of research related to energy and the environment [and will] coordinate a number of existing campus efforts in energy and environment research," Alvarez, who is also the George R. Brown Professor of Engineering and the chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said. "[It will also] host workshops and conferences in timely topics relevant to the future of energy both in Houston and globally and provide for the community a window into the rich scholarship found at Rice in energy and the environment." 

Boyer said representing the undergraduate body in E2I is essential.

"The first step to have is to have something like a town hall meeting, which is what we're in the process of developing," Boyer said. "This year, in order to answer how we can best serve the Rice student body, we will create an undergraduate advisory council. We're trying to figure out how they want to engage and to get their feedback first before we finalize our strategy."

Sid Richardson College junior John Zhang said he thought McConnell was well-qualified and appreciated E2I's attempt to involve undergraduates.

"With depleting natural resources and such high prices of oil, and as Rice University's second centennial initiatives continue and expand, it is a great idea to have someone like McConnell," Zhang said. "He seems like someone who can see energy's impact on the environment in the private and public sector. With his contributions to E2I initiatives, not only will he have a great research university to further his findings, but also a large student body that is supportive and proactive."

Rice Environmental Club President Skye Kelty said she hopes E2I focuses on research that can help American energy.

"I think it's important that they do things that can be done in America," Kelty, a McMurtry College senior, said. "The consequences of shifting energy out of America is concerning, so I think they should do something that's feasible on American soil and on our infrastructure."

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