Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future

The Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future
Research Organization
Founded 2008
Headquarters 200 Rice Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY, 14850
Key people
 Frank DiSalvo, Director
Website www.sustainablefuture.cornell.edu

The David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (ACSF) is a research organization created in Fall 2007 at Cornell University. ACSF advances multidisciplinary research in Energy, the Environment and Economic Development, and cultivates collaborations within and beyond Cornell.

The ACSF office in Rice hall at Cornell University

History

ACSF, initially the Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future (CCSF), was created in the fall of 2007 at Cornell University by the Office of the Provost following a multiyear, cross-campus dialogue on energy and sustainability. It started as a pilot program with initial support from David R. Atkinson, Cornell alumni of '60, and his wife Patricia Atkinson.[1] It was renamed the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, or ACSF, in October 2010, following an $80 million gift from the Atkinsons, making it a permanent center on campus.[2][3] It was the largest gift ever received from an individual at Cornell University [4]

Research Areas

The three main areas of focus at ACSF are Energy, Environment, and Economic Development.[5]

Energy

Topics in energy research include: Biofuels, Carbon Footprint, Climate Change, Combustion Engineering, Computation and Modeling, Ecotecture, Electric Infrastructure, Energy Storage - Batteries, Fossil Fuels, Fuel Cells, Geothermal, Solar Cells, and Wind Energy and Water Energy.[6]

Environment

Topics in environment research include: Biogeochemical Cycles, Built Environment, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change - Disease, Conservation genetics, Ecosystem Services Valuation, Impacts of Biodiversity Loss, Invasive Species, Microbial Diversity, Nitrogen pollution, Climate models, Sustainable Agriculture, and Water Management.[7]

Economic Development

Topics in economic development include: Biodiversity and Development, Climate change adaptation, Community empowerment, Crop and livestock growth, Food systems, Human Health, Jobs and the Workforce, Pro-poor financial systems, Social entrepreneurship, Water Management[8]

Academic Venture Fund

Research is primarily funded through the Academic Venture Fund (AVF), with several recipients each year. The Academic Venture Fund was initiated in 2008.[9]

The awards given in 2011 included:

Other Programs

The Atkinson Center hosts several topical lunches throughout the year at Cornell University, for students and researchers to attend. It also hosts the annual Iscol lectures, featuring environmental lecturers including Bill McKibben[11] and James Hansen.[12]

Outreach

In 2010, ACSF cosupported a delegation of 23 faculty and students from Cornell to go to the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference. At this conference, Cornell Professor Johannes Lehmann presented on biochar and sustainable agriculture and carbon management. Antonio Bento, professor of applied economics and management, presented research on the potential effects of including carbon offsets in cap and trade programs.[13]

ACSF in the News

Johannes Lehmann has made significant contributions in the field of biochar, including a congressional hearing on July 13, 2010.[14]

The New York Times Times has featured Francis Moon's research on Vibro-Wind Technology in the 10th Annual Year in Ideas.[15]

Partnership Institutions

Engineering Energy Studies, Energy Transitions Group, Cornell Center for Materials Research, Energy Materials Center at Cornell (EMC2), Graduate Education in Earth-Energy Systems, KAUST Cornell Center for Energy and Sustainability, Northeast Sun Grant Initiative, Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Climate Information for Mosquito Control & Public Health Officials, Cornell Plantations, Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, Ecology and Evolution of Infections and Disease at Cornell, Institute for Computational Sustainability, Northeast Regional Climate Center, Cornell Climate Change Research Directory, Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center, Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, Center for the Study of Inequality, Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development, Cornell Population Program, Institute for Computational Sustainability, Institute for the Social Sciences, Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Graduate Pays Back Cornell With $80 Million Gift". Dealbook. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  2. ↑ "Historic gift creates Atkinson Center to bolster sustainability research, education, action". Archived from the original on 5 July 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Record Gift to Cornell to Fund Research". Wall Street Journal. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  4. ↑ Dobbin, Ben (28 October 2010). "Cornell Gets $80M Gift For Sustainability Work". Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  5. ↑ "Research Collaborations".
  6. ↑ "Energy Research - ACSF".
  7. ↑ "Environment Research - ACSF".
  8. ↑ "Economic Development Research - ACSF".
  9. ↑ "http://www.sustainablefuture.cornell.edu/grants/attachments/CCSF-AVF-2010-final.pdf" (PDF). CCSF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011. External link in |title= (help)
  10. ↑ "Atkinson Center announces 10 new venture fund awards". Archived from the original on 2011-08-06.
  11. ↑ "Activist: Oppose Chamber of Commerce for climate". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  12. ↑ "Iscol Lectures".
  13. ↑ Gold, Lauren (10 January 2011). "CU researchers, students offer ideas at climate conference". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  14. ↑ "Faculty brief Congressional staff on carbon sequestration". Cornell Chronicle. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  15. ↑ "10th Annual Year in Ideas". NY Times. Retrieved 18 July 2011.

External links

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