Tuesday, October 7, 2008

MIT creates interdisciplinary green research council

By Mass High Tech Staff

MIT reports it has launched a group called the Environmental Research Council to facilitate cooperation among MIT departments on environmental research.

The council is intended to combine the efforts of researchers doing environmental work under way at the school’s labs and departments, MIT said. The goal is to create an MIT-wide engine for collaboration comparable to the MIT Energy Initiative.

The council was formed based on the recommendations of a committee chaired by geophysics professor Maria Zuber. The committee assessed MIT’s research and teaching activities related to the environment and recommended that MIT launch a research initiative to support science, technology, design, policy and management of interventions that advance environmental sustainability.

Dara Entekhabi, a professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Earth Systems Initiative, will serve as chair of the council. MIT said the council’s first task will be to develop a proposal, expected by February, for an MIT-wide environmental initiative.

MIT has similar research programs in a number of interrelated areas including water, climate change and energy.

In June, the Bosch Group gave $5 million to the MIT Energy Inititiative. As a member of the initiative, Bosch will contribute $5 million to MITEI over five years to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy research projects. Bosch’s donation will support 10 “Bosch-MIT Energy Fellows,” graduate students doing energy research.