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Shel
l Cen
ter
for
Sust
aina
bilit
y
2007
AN
NU
AL
REP
ORT
2007
AN
NU
AL
REP
ORT
20S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
ty
Sta
ff
Lilib
eth
And
réA
ssoc
iate
Dire
ctor
Fac
ult
y
Dr.
Pet
er H
artle
yA
cade
mic
Dire
ctor
Man
agin
g C
om
mit
tee
Dr.
Dav
id W
. Lee
bron
Pre
side
ntR
ice
Uni
vers
ity
Mr.
John
Hof
mei
ster
Pre
side
ntS
hell
Oil
Com
pany
Op
erat
ing
Co
mm
itte
e
Dr.
Wal
ter
G. C
hapm
anC
hem
ical
& B
iom
olec
ular
Eng
i-ne
eerin
gR
ice
Uni
vers
ity
Dr.
Mic
hael
Em
erso
nD
irect
or C
OR
RU
LR
ice
Uni
vers
ity
Kev
in Il
ges
Dire
ctor
US
Soc
ial R
espo
nsib
ility
&
Bus
ines
s S
uppo
rtS
hell
Oil
Com
pany
Mar
y M
arga
ret H
amilt
onC
orpo
rate
Affa
irsS
hell
Oil
Com
pany
Dr.
Lyn
Rag
sdal
eD
ean,
Sch
ool o
f Soc
ial S
cien
ces
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
Dr.
Rob
ert S
tein
Pro
fess
or P
oliti
cal S
cien
ceR
ice
Uni
vers
ity
Shel
l Cen
ter
for
Sust
aina
bilit
ySc
hool
of
Soci
al S
cien
ces
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
6100
Mai
n St
reet
, MS2
7P.
O. B
ox 1
892
Hou
ston
, Tex
as 7
7251
(713
) 34
8-27
96ht
tp://
shel
lcen
ter.r
ice.
edu
The
S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
ty
at
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
is a
res
earc
h ce
nter
with
th
e m
issi
on t
o cr
eate
an
inte
rdis
cipl
in-
ary
prog
ram
of
rese
arch
, ou
trea
ch a
nd
educ
atio
n to
add
ress
act
ions
that
can
be
take
n to
ens
ure
the
sust
aina
ble
deve
l-op
men
t of
liv
ing
stan
dard
s, i
nter
pret
ed
broa
dly,
to
enco
mpa
ss a
ll fa
ctor
s af
fect
-in
g th
e qu
ality
of
life,
inc
ludi
ng e
nviro
n-m
enta
l res
ourc
es.
The
S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
ty
is
fund
ed
by
She
ll O
il C
ompa
ny.
It w
as
form
ed in
199
3.
Intr
od
uct
ion
2
Let
ter
fro
m t
he
Aca
dem
ic D
irec
tor
4
Exe
cuti
ve S
um
mar
y
6
Res
earc
h
-
Bac
kgro
un
d
8
-
U. S
. - C
hin
a C
oas
tal C
itie
s
8
- R
ice
Un
iver
sity
-Nan
kai U
niv
ersi
ty P
roje
ct
10
-
New
Res
earc
h
12
-
Th
e W
ater
Fo
otp
rin
t o
f B
iofu
els
12
- In
teg
rate
d E
con
om
ics,
En
viro
nm
enta
l,
14
and
Rel
iab
ility
Mo
del
ing
of
Po
wer
Sys
tem
Gro
wth
-
Su
stai
nab
le P
rod
uct
ion
an
d D
eplo
ymen
t
15
of
Bio
die
sel
-
Car
bo
n S
equ
estr
atio
n T
hro
ug
h B
io-c
har
17
S
oil
Am
end
men
t
-
Mo
nit
ori
ng
En
gin
eere
d N
ano
par
ticl
es
18
In
Th
e E
nvi
ron
men
t
Ack
no
wle
dg
emen
ts
19
Cre
dit
s
19
Org
aniz
atio
n
20
2S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
tyR
ice
Uni
vers
ity3
Tabl
e of
Con
tent
sTa
ble
of C
onte
nts
Let
ter
from
the
Aca
dem
ic D
irec
tor
Thi
s an
nual
rep
ort
refl e
cts
the
fi rst
yea
r of
ope
ratio
ns o
f th
e S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
ty u
nder
its
new
man
agem
ent
stru
ctur
e. P
revi
ousl
y, t
he C
ente
r w
as
loca
ted
in t
he E
ngin
eerin
g D
ivis
ion
at R
ice
Uni
vers
ity w
here
it
was
ass
ocia
ted
clos
ely
with
the
Env
ironm
enta
l an
d E
nerg
y S
yste
ms
Inst
itute
. A
s so
cial
sci
ence
is
sues
beg
an t
o pl
ay a
mor
e si
gnifi
cant
rol
e in
the
con
cern
s of
the
Cen
ter,
the
Dea
n’s
Cou
ncil
deci
ded
to m
ove
it to
the
Soc
ial S
cien
ces
Div
isio
n. N
ow, a
ppoi
nted
to
the
Geo
rge
and
Cyn
thia
Mitc
hell
Fam
ily c
hair
in S
usta
inab
le D
evel
opm
ent i
n th
e ec
onom
ics
depa
rtm
ent,
I hav
e ta
ken
over
as
the
Aca
dem
ic D
irect
or o
f the
Cen
ter.
One
of m
y fi r
st ta
sks
was
to re
crui
t a n
ew A
ssoc
iate
Dire
ctor
. We
wer
e fo
rtun
ate
to h
ire L
ilibe
th A
ndré
from
a v
ery
stro
ng p
ool o
f app
lican
ts.
We
have
als
o su
bsta
ntia
lly r
e-or
gani
zed
the
adm
inis
trat
ive
stru
ctur
e of
the
C
ente
r. T
he C
ente
r no
w r
epor
ts t
o th
e D
ean
of S
ocia
l S
cien
ces,
Lyn
Rag
sdal
e,
who
als
o pa
rtic
ipat
es e
x-of
fi cio
in
delib
erat
ions
of
the
Ope
ratin
g C
omm
ittee
. A
re
sear
ch s
cien
tist
from
She
ll w
ill s
oon
join
the
tw
o pe
rman
ent
repr
esen
tativ
es
from
the
Pub
lic A
ffairs
offi
ce a
t S
hell
Nor
th A
mer
ica
who
cur
rent
ly s
erve
on
the
com
mitt
ee.
Fro
m t
he R
ice
Uni
vers
ity s
ide,
we
have
als
o in
crea
sed
the
brea
dth
of
repr
esen
tatio
n by
add
ing
mem
bers
fro
m t
he N
atur
al S
cien
ce D
ivis
ion,
the
Jon
es
Gra
duat
e S
choo
l of
Man
agem
ent,
and
the
Sch
ool o
f Arc
hite
ctur
e. T
he O
pera
ting
Com
mitt
ee n
ow m
eets
on
a m
uch
mor
e re
gula
r ba
sis
and
play
s a
muc
h st
rong
er
role
in th
e op
erat
ions
of t
he C
ente
r.
My
othe
r m
ajor
tas
k as
Aca
dem
ic D
irect
or i
nvol
ves
setti
ng t
he a
cade
mic
di
rect
ion
of t
he C
ente
r. To
tha
t en
d, I
com
plet
ed a
rep
ort
in t
he s
umm
er o
f 20
07
disc
ussi
ng m
y un
ders
tand
ing
of t
he c
once
pt o
f su
stai
nabl
e de
velo
pmen
t an
d th
e im
plic
atio
ns o
f th
at p
ersp
ectiv
e fo
r th
e op
erat
ions
of
the
Cen
ter.
The
ful
l rep
ort
is
avai
labl
e on
the
She
ll C
ente
r w
eb s
ite (
http
://sh
ellc
ente
r.ric
e.ed
u).
In s
umm
ary,
I a
rgue
d th
at d
evel
opm
ent
is a
pro
cess
of
impr
ovem
ent
in li
ving
st
anda
rds
inte
rpre
ted
broa
dly
to i
nclu
de n
ot o
nly
mar
kete
d go
ods
and
serv
ices
(e
cono
mic
gro
wth
as
conv
entio
nally
mea
sure
d),
but
also
val
ued
item
s, s
uch
as
envi
ronm
enta
l am
eniti
es,
free
dom
fro
m c
oerc
ion,
the
rul
e of
law
and
the
qua
lity
of s
ocia
l int
erac
tions
, w
hich
typ
ical
ly d
o no
t ha
ve m
arke
t pr
ices
. F
or d
evel
opm
ent
to b
e su
stai
nabl
e, t
he i
mpr
ovem
ent
need
s to
be
cont
inue
d fo
r an
ind
efi n
ite t
ime
perio
d.
The
not
ion
of i
ndefi
nite
im
prov
emen
t in
liv
ing
stan
dard
s m
ight
app
ear
to
cont
radi
ct t
he f
act
that
phy
sica
l re
sour
ces
are
fi nite
. H
owev
er,
inde
fi nite
gro
wth
in
liv
ing
stan
dard
s is
con
sist
ent
with
pop
ulat
ion
rem
aini
ng fi
nite
. In
deed
, th
ere
are
very
goo
d th
eore
tical
rea
sons
, an
d m
uch
empi
rical
evi
denc
e, t
o be
lieve
tha
t ec
onom
ic g
row
th u
ltim
atel
y le
ads
to d
ecre
ased
pop
ulat
ion
grow
th.
In a
dditi
on,
econ
omic
gro
wth
is
conc
erne
d no
t w
ith g
row
th i
n ph
ysic
al i
nput
s to
pro
duct
ion
but
rath
er w
ith g
row
th i
n th
e va
lue
of o
utpu
ts t
o co
nsum
ers.
The
re
is n
o ne
cess
ary
reas
on w
hy g
reat
er v
alue
of
outp
ut r
equi
res
a hi
gher
phy
sica
l qu
antit
y of
res
ourc
e in
puts
. F
or e
xam
ple,
con
sum
ptio
n te
nds
to s
hift
away
fro
m
good
s to
war
d le
ss r
esou
rce
inte
nsiv
e se
rvic
es a
s ec
onom
ies
deve
lop.
The
fun
dam
enta
l poi
nt,
how
ever
, is
tha
t on
e ca
n co
ncei
ve o
f un
limite
d gr
owth
in
the
val
ue o
f ec
onom
ic o
utpu
t de
spite
lim
ited
phys
ical
res
ourc
es b
ecau
se t
here
is
one
crit
ical
res
ourc
e th
at i
s in
unl
imite
d su
pply
. T
hat
reso
urce
is
scie
ntifi
c un
ders
tand
ing
of th
e na
tura
l wor
ld a
nd in
genu
ity in
app
lyin
g th
at u
nder
stan
ding
to
prod
uce
high
er v
alue
d pr
oduc
ts a
nd s
ervi
ces.
The
acc
umul
atio
n an
d ap
plic
atio
n of
sci
entifi
c k
now
ledg
e ha
s be
en th
e fu
ndam
enta
l for
ce e
nabl
ing
cont
inue
d gr
owth
an
d pr
ogre
ss s
ince
the
indu
stria
l rev
olut
ion.
Fin
ally
, sui
tabl
e en
viro
nmen
tal p
olic
ies
are
nece
ssar
y to
ens
ure
that
eco
nom
ic
deve
lopm
ent
rais
es l
ivin
g st
anda
rds
inte
rpre
ted
broa
dly.
Sim
ilarly
, in
crea
sed
use
of p
ricin
g m
echa
nism
s, s
uch
as t
oll
road
s an
d br
idge
s, o
r th
e C
entr
al L
ondo
n co
nges
tion
zone
, may
be
need
ed to
con
trol
the
cong
estio
n ex
tern
aliti
es a
ssoc
iate
d w
ith e
cono
mic
gro
wth
and
urb
aniz
atio
n. A
utom
obile
reg
istr
atio
n fe
es, p
arki
ng a
nd
fuel
tax
es,
and
subs
idie
s fo
r pu
blic
tra
nspo
rt c
an a
lso
all b
e pa
rtly
rat
iona
lized
as
pric
e-ba
sed
mec
hani
sms
to li
mit
som
e of
the
se e
xter
nalit
ies.
Gov
ernm
ent
actio
n in
the
for
m o
f re
gion
al a
nd u
rban
coo
rdin
atio
n an
d pl
anni
ng o
f tr
ansp
ort
rout
es
can
also
hel
p al
levi
ate
som
e of
the
se p
robl
ems.
Oth
er p
robl
ems
asso
ciat
ed w
ith
econ
omic
gro
wth
and
urb
aniz
atio
n th
at m
ight
thr
eate
n im
prov
ed li
ving
sta
ndar
ds,
if th
ey a
re n
ot c
ontr
olle
d, in
clud
e in
crea
sed
crim
e, a
nd la
rge
mig
ratio
n fl o
ws
whi
ch
rais
e is
sues
of s
ocia
l coo
pera
tion
and
tole
ranc
e.
Bas
ed o
n th
is u
nder
stan
ding
, I
prop
osed
tha
t th
e ce
ntra
l con
cern
of
the
She
ll C
ente
r sh
ould
be
to f
oste
r re
sear
ch a
t R
ice
Uni
vers
ity t
hat
is c
ompa
tible
with
, or
rei
nfor
ces
exis
ting
or p
oten
tial
Ric
e st
reng
ths,
and
whi
ch i
dent
ifi es
thr
eats
to
sust
aina
ble
deve
lopm
ent a
nd h
ow th
ose
thre
ats
mig
ht b
e el
imin
ated
.
The
abo
ve a
naly
sis
has
emph
asiz
ed th
e cr
itica
l rol
e of
sci
ence
and
eng
inee
ring
in fa
cilit
atin
g su
stai
nabl
e de
velo
pmen
t. O
f par
ticul
ar re
leva
nce
are
new
tech
nolo
gies
th
at fa
cilit
ate
prod
uctiv
ity im
prov
emen
ts e
spec
ially
in th
e us
e of
raw
mat
eria
ls a
nd
ener
gy,
and
tech
nolo
gies
tha
t al
levi
ate
the
envi
ronm
enta
l im
pact
s of
eco
nom
ic
activ
ity.
New
tec
hnol
ogie
s al
one
are
not
suffi
cien
t, ho
wev
er,
to e
nsur
e su
stai
nabl
e de
velo
pmen
t. E
nerg
y an
d en
viro
nmen
tal p
olic
ies
also
pla
y a
criti
cal r
ole
and
have
a
clea
r ov
erla
p w
ith t
he e
nerg
y re
sear
ch p
rogr
am c
ondu
cted
und
er t
he a
uspi
ces
of t
he J
ames
A.
Bak
er I
II In
stitu
te f
or P
ublic
Pol
icy
and
the
rese
arch
con
duct
ed in
en
viro
nmen
tal e
ngin
eerin
g an
d un
der t
he a
uspi
ces
of th
e E
nerg
y an
d E
nviro
nmen
tal
Sys
tem
s In
stitu
te.
The
iss
ue o
f su
stai
nabl
e de
velo
pmen
t th
us i
nvol
ves
alm
ost
all
disc
iplin
es a
t R
ice.
For
that
reas
on, w
e fo
cus
on re
sear
ch p
roje
cts
with
an
expl
icit
inte
rdis
cipl
inar
y el
emen
t in
our
delib
erat
ions
ove
r fu
ndin
g. I
antic
ipat
e th
at th
is fo
cus
will
rem
ain
in
futu
re y
ears
and
I in
vite
all
Ric
e fa
culty
to c
onsi
der h
ow th
eir r
esea
rch
inte
rest
s m
ight
be
mod
ifi ed
to m
eld
with
She
ll C
ente
r co
ncer
ns a
bout
sus
tain
able
dev
elop
men
t.
Pet
er H
artl
ey
4S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
tyR
ice
Uni
vers
ity5
Ove
r the
last
yea
r, th
e S
hell
Cen
ter f
or S
usta
inab
ility
at R
ice
Uni
vers
ity
has
prod
uced
res
earc
h on
sus
tain
able
dev
elop
men
t in
the
are
as o
f en
ergy
, air
qual
ity, w
ater
, bio
dive
rsity
, bus
ines
s an
d co
asta
l citi
es.
The
Cen
ter
has
also
sup
port
ed e
nviro
nmen
tal c
ours
es t
hat
incl
ude
sust
aina
ble
topi
cs f
or R
ice
stud
ents
suc
h as
“E
nviro
nmen
tal B
attle
s in
the
21st C
entu
ry: H
oust
on a
s a
Mic
roco
sm”.
Inte
rdis
cipl
inar
y ef
fort
s ha
ve
brou
ght
toge
ther
nu
mer
ous
facu
lty
mem
bers
, gr
adua
te a
nd u
nder
grad
uate
stu
dent
s at
Ric
e. T
he S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
ty h
as a
lso
colla
bora
ted
with
oth
er in
stitu
tions
an
d or
gani
zatio
ns in
Hou
ston
and
oth
er p
arts
of
the
wor
ld in
clud
ing
Chi
na.
We
have
sup
port
ed re
sear
ch th
at h
as id
entifi
ed
ener
gy s
olut
ions
and
av
enue
s of
cha
nge,
suc
h as
in
the
Bus
ines
s C
ase
for
Sus
tain
able
D
evel
opm
ent,
that
de
mon
stra
tes
that
so
cial
re
spon
sibi
lity
can
enha
nce
the
botto
m li
ne.
Our
res
earc
h cr
eate
s a
seed
tha
t ge
rmin
ates
int
o gr
eate
r fu
ndin
g.
Thi
s w
ork
crea
tes
part
ners
hip
oppo
rtun
ities
an
d ha
s ga
rner
ed
reco
gniti
on f
or o
ur s
tude
nts.
The
Gas
Hyd
rate
s-C
limat
e C
hang
e an
d E
nerg
y S
uppl
y pr
ojec
t ha
s w
arra
nted
gre
ater
fun
ding
fro
m t
he
Dep
artm
ent
of E
nerg
y. T
his
leve
rage
s ou
r in
itial
pro
ject
inv
estm
ent
15 ti
mes
.
Ove
r th
e la
st s
ix m
onth
s, th
e S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
ty h
as b
een
revi
taliz
ed.
We
have
a r
enew
ed s
trat
egic
pla
n th
at e
mph
asiz
es t
he
econ
omic
com
pone
nts
of s
usta
inab
le d
evel
opm
ent.
The
obj
ectiv
es
are
fi ne
tune
d to
focu
s lo
cally
on
Hou
ston
and
Tex
as. B
y m
aint
aini
ng
this
focu
s w
e w
ill a
cqui
re fu
rthe
r kn
owle
dge
abou
t the
pro
blem
s an
d is
sues
affe
ctin
g us
as
a co
asta
l ci
ty.
Hou
ston
’s d
istin
ctiv
enes
s is
sh
ared
by
num
erou
s co
asta
l ci
ties
of t
he w
orld
. T
hrou
gh o
utre
ach
and
colla
bora
tion,
we
shar
e ou
r ex
perie
nce
and
know
ledg
e ab
out
sust
aina
bilit
y w
ithin
ou
r bo
unda
ries
and
beyo
nd.
One
ex
ampl
e of
col
labo
ratio
n is
our
par
ticip
atio
n in
the
Uni
vers
ity o
f H
oust
on-
Dow
ntow
n S
usta
inab
ility
Day
pan
el.
Thi
s ev
ent
brou
ght
toge
ther
re
pres
enta
tives
fro
m v
ario
us a
reas
of
our
com
mun
ity t
o di
scus
s su
stai
nabl
e ac
tions
at t
he lo
cal l
evel
. Ano
ther
exa
mpl
e is
the
Chi
na-
U.S
. Cen
ter
for
Env
ironm
enta
l and
Sus
tain
able
Dev
elop
men
t, w
hich
was
cre
ated
as
an e
xten
sion
of o
ur R
ice-
Nan
kai r
esea
rch.
Rev
italiz
atio
n of
the
She
ll C
ente
r fo
r S
usta
inab
ility
at R
ice
Uni
vers
ity
resu
lted
in t
he a
dditi
on o
f an
Aca
dem
ic D
irect
or a
nd a
n A
ssoc
iate
D
irect
or to
set
and
impl
emen
t the
new
dire
ctio
n of
the
Cen
ter.
Org
aniz
atio
nal
effo
rts
incl
uded
es
tabl
ishi
ng
a re
gula
r m
eetin
g ca
lend
ar f
or t
he O
pera
ting
Com
mitt
ee a
nd t
he a
pplic
atio
n of
in-
hous
e ad
min
istr
ativ
e pr
actic
es
to
upda
te
fi nan
cial
re
port
s an
d da
y-to
-day
act
iviti
es.
Out
reac
h an
d co
mm
unic
atio
ns i
nclu
ded
re-
esta
blis
hmen
t of
int
erna
l an
d ex
tern
al c
onta
cts,
upd
atin
g W
eb s
ite
cont
ent,
and
enha
ncem
ent
of c
omm
unic
atio
ns f
or t
he S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
ty.
To e
mph
asiz
e gr
eate
r in
terd
isci
plin
ary
part
icip
atio
n an
d co
oper
atio
n w
ithin
Ric
e an
d S
hell,
the
Ope
ratin
g C
omm
ittee
has
bee
n ex
pand
ed
to in
clud
e a
repr
esen
tativ
e fr
om t
he S
choo
l of
Nat
ural
Sci
ence
s, t
he
Jone
s S
choo
l of
Gra
duat
e S
tudi
es,
the
Sch
ool
of A
rchi
tect
ure,
and
a
She
ll O
il C
ompa
ny s
cien
tist,
effe
ctiv
e in
200
8. T
his
will
allo
w u
s to
bro
aden
our
rea
ch a
mon
g va
rious
dis
cipl
ines
and
ini
tiate
act
ive
info
rmat
ion
exch
ange
with
a m
axim
izat
ion
of in
telle
ctua
l res
ourc
es.
To f
oste
r pa
rtne
rshi
ps w
ith o
ther
ins
titut
ions
, at
the
loc
al l
evel
, w
e w
elco
med
the
Uni
vers
ity o
f H
oust
on L
aw C
ente
r’s
Env
ironm
ent,
Ene
rgy
and
Nat
ural
Res
ourc
es C
ente
r. W
e al
so p
artic
ipat
ed i
n th
e fi r
st T
exas
Sum
mit
offe
red
by t
he N
atio
nal
Cou
ncil
for
Sci
ence
and
th
e E
nviro
nmen
t an
d ho
sted
by
the
Hou
ston
Adv
ance
d R
esea
rch
Cen
ter.
The
topi
c, “
Hig
her
Edu
catio
n in
Tex
as C
onfr
onts
the
Clim
ate
Cha
nge
Cha
lleng
e”,
conn
ecte
d ac
adem
ics
from
ov
er
30
Texa
s in
stitu
tions
of h
ighe
r le
arni
ng.
In a
dditi
on to
com
plet
ion
of o
ngoi
ng r
esea
rch,
the
Cen
ter
cond
ucte
d a
call
for
new
fac
ulty
pro
ject
s. T
he c
all
drew
a l
arge
num
ber
of
prop
osal
s ac
ross
dis
cipl
ines
and
ove
r a
broa
d ar
ea o
f re
sear
ch.
At
the
end
of t
he s
elec
tion
proc
ess,
5 n
ew p
roje
cts
wer
e fu
nded
. T
hese
pro
ject
s ar
e in
the
are
as o
f bi
ofue
ls i
mpa
ct,
sust
aina
bilit
y of
po
wer
gen
erat
ion,
pro
duct
ion
and
depl
oym
ent
of b
iodi
esel
, ca
rbon
se
ques
trat
ion,
an
d na
nopa
rtic
les
mon
itorin
g.
The
se
rese
arch
pr
ojec
ts i
nclu
de p
artic
ipat
ion
from
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
fac
ulty
in
Civ
il an
d E
nvio
rnm
enta
l E
ngin
eerin
g, t
he R
ice
Ene
rgy
Pro
gram
, B
aker
In
stitu
te f
or P
ublic
Pol
icy,
Che
mic
al a
nd B
iom
olec
ular
Eng
inee
ring,
an
d E
arth
Sci
ence
s.
Exe
cuti
ve S
umm
ary
Exe
cuti
ve S
umm
ary
6S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
tyR
ice
Uni
vere
sity
7
Bac
kgro
und
Bac
kgro
und
The
She
ll C
ente
r fo
r S
usta
inab
ility
has
fun
ded
12 r
esea
rch
proj
ects
an
d tw
o co
urse
s si
nce
its in
cept
ion.
Thi
s re
sear
ch a
nd c
ours
es w
ere
in t
he a
reas
of
Ene
rgy,
Air,
Wat
er,
Urb
an S
usta
inab
ility
, B
iodi
vers
ity,
Bio
lingu
istic
s, a
nd B
usin
ess.
The
y in
clud
ed th
e fo
llow
ing:
Gas
Hyd
rate
s P
roje
ctB
usin
ess
Cas
e fo
r S
usta
inab
le D
evel
opm
ent P
roje
ctO
zone
Res
earc
h P
roje
ctC
ase
Stu
dy in
Sus
tain
able
Dev
elop
men
t Stu
dent
Pro
ject
Nan
otec
hnol
ogy
and
Ene
rgy
Pro
ject
Ene
rgy
Con
serv
atio
n: C
ontin
gent
Val
uatio
n A
naly
sis
Pro
ject
Car
bon
Cap
ture
and
Seq
uest
ratio
n P
roje
ctW
ater
Mem
bran
e Te
chno
logi
es P
roje
ctB
iodi
vers
ity-F
ores
try
Pro
ject
Bio
lingi
stic
Div
ersi
ty P
roje
ct
Env
ironm
enta
l Bat
tles
in th
e 21
st C
entu
ry: H
oust
on A
s A
M
icro
cosm
Cou
rse
Env
ironm
enta
l Hea
lth C
ours
e
Sum
mar
ies
for
thes
e pr
ojec
ts a
nd c
ours
es c
an b
e fo
und
at h
ttp://
shel
lcen
ter.r
ice.
edu
Two
othe
r pro
ject
s ha
ve c
ontin
ued
beyo
nd th
e in
itial
obj
ectiv
es. T
heir
effo
rts
are
desc
ribed
bel
ow.
U. S
. - C
hina
Coa
stal
Cit
ies
U. S
. - C
hina
Coa
stal
Cit
ies
The
Coa
stal
Citi
es p
roje
ct,
is a
join
t ve
ntur
e of
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
(th
e C
ente
r on
Rac
e, R
elig
ion,
and
Urb
an L
ife;
the
Bak
er I
nstit
ute;
and
th
e de
part
men
ts o
f so
ciol
ogy
and
polit
ical
sci
ence
), a
nd t
he S
hang
-ha
i A
cade
my
of S
ocia
l S
cien
ces
(SA
SS
) an
d H
oriz
on S
urve
y R
e-se
arch
, bot
h in
Chi
na.
The
pro
ject
foc
uses
on
the
chal
leng
es f
acin
g m
ajor
, lo
w-ly
ing
estu
-ar
y m
etro
polis
es, p
artic
ular
ly th
ose
who
se e
cono
mie
s ar
e su
ppor
ted
by a
larg
e pe
troc
hem
ical
indu
stria
l bas
e. U
nder
stan
ding
the
envi
ron-
men
tal,
ener
gy a
nd s
ocie
tal
polic
y ch
alle
nges
fac
ing
thes
e po
pula
-tio
n ce
nter
s is
crit
ical
to th
e fu
ture
of t
he p
lane
t.
The
pro
ject
’s p
rimar
y ta
sk w
as to
stu
dy s
usta
inab
ility
in m
ajor
coa
stal
ci
ties
in t
hree
U.
S.
maj
or c
oast
al c
ities
—H
oust
on,
Los
Ang
eles
and
New
Yor
k, a
nd i
n th
ree
of C
hina
’s m
ajor
coa
stal
citi
es—
Sha
ngha
i, T
ianj
in a
nd S
henz
hen.
U
sing
sur
vey
rese
arch
, pu
blic
per
cept
ions
an
d at
titud
es a
bout
col
lect
ive
actio
n in
key
are
as o
f su
stai
nabl
e de
-ve
lopm
ent
wer
e in
vest
igat
ed,
as w
ell
as t
he i
nfl u
ence
tha
t go
vern
-m
ent
and
othe
r po
litic
al s
truc
ture
s ha
ve o
n th
e im
plem
enta
tion
of
sust
aina
ble
deve
lopm
ent p
ract
ices
and
ene
rgy
polic
y. T
he in
dica
tors
ar
e bu
ttres
sed
by t
he w
ork
of o
ther
Ric
e re
sear
ch t
eam
s in
the
de-
velo
pmen
t of
obj
ectiv
e m
easu
res
for
sust
aina
bilit
y is
sues
as
ener
gy
supp
ly,
air
qual
ity,
fl ood
ing
and
subs
iden
ce,
deve
lopm
ents
in
the
petr
oche
mic
al in
dust
ry,
the
impa
ct o
f im
mig
ratio
n on
rac
e re
latio
ns,
mea
sure
s of
eco
nom
ic p
rosp
erity
, ur
ban
infr
astr
uctu
re a
nd p
ublic
he
alth
, th
e ch
alle
nges
of
sea-
leve
l ris
e an
d th
e m
anag
emen
t of
se-
vere
sto
rms.
The
larg
er g
oal o
f the
res
earc
h pr
ogra
m is
to fo
ster
inte
rnat
iona
l dia
-lo
gue
and
coop
erat
ion
to fi
ndin
g so
lutio
ns to
the
maj
or c
halle
nges
of
sust
aina
ble
deve
lopm
ent f
or th
e w
orld
’s la
rges
t coa
stal
citi
es.
Sur
veys
wer
e co
nduc
ted
amon
g 50
0 ra
ndom
ly s
elec
ted
adul
ts p
er
met
ropo
litan
are
a. R
esul
ts w
ere
com
pare
d an
d an
alyz
ed.
In S
ep-
tem
ber
of 2
007,
the
rese
arch
team
met
with
app
roxi
mat
ely
20 fa
culty
an
d gr
adua
te s
tude
nts
from
the
Soc
iolo
gy In
stitu
te a
nd W
orld
Eco
n-om
y In
stitu
te o
f S
AS
S,
and
invi
ted
scho
lars
fro
m F
udan
Uni
vers
ity
and
Sha
ngha
i mun
icip
al g
over
nmen
t env
ironm
enta
l sur
vey
rese
arch
or
gani
zatio
ns.
In S
hang
ai,
the
team
was
inv
ited
to F
udan
Uni
vers
ity,
rega
rded
as
one
of C
hina
’s t
op u
nive
rsiti
es,
to m
eet
with
Dr.
Libo
Wu,
an
envi
-ro
nmen
tal
econ
omis
t, an
d he
r st
uden
ts,
to l
earn
of
thei
r re
sear
ch
on s
urve
ys o
f peo
ple
in p
ort c
ities
in C
hina
, Jap
an a
nd In
done
sia,
to
disc
uss
poss
ibili
ties
for
part
nerin
g to
geth
er in
coa
stal
citi
es s
usta
in-
abili
ty w
ork,
and
to
lear
n fu
rthe
r ab
out
Chi
nese
cul
ture
, po
litic
s, a
nd
econ
omic
s in
the
mos
t cur
rent
tim
es.
The
tea
m p
lans
to
host
a s
imila
r co
nfer
ence
in t
he U
nite
d S
tate
s in
20
09.
The
goa
l is
to c
ondu
ct a
sec
ond
surv
ey u
sing
the
sam
e U
.S.
and
Chi
nese
citi
es, a
nd p
erha
ps e
xpan
ding
to m
ore
citie
s. T
he te
am
hope
s to
rep
licat
e th
e w
ork
in m
ore
regi
ons
and
natio
ns o
f the
wor
ld,
espe
cial
ly L
atin
Am
eric
a, S
outh
Asi
a an
d ot
her
regi
ons,
pro
vidi
ng
a fu
ller
pict
ure
of u
rban
sus
tain
abili
ty a
nd e
nerg
y us
e ar
ound
the
gl
obe,
ena
blin
g th
e ex
pans
ion
of d
iscu
ssio
n pa
rtne
rs,
and
pote
ntia
l po
licy
reac
h.
The
team
is a
ctiv
ely
seek
ing
addi
tiona
l fun
ding
to le
vera
ge th
e in
itial
co
ntrib
utio
n fr
om t
he S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
ty t
o ad
dres
s th
e ex
pand
ed g
oals
.
Cur
rent
pub
licat
ions
and
new
art
icle
s on
the
U.S
.-C
hina
Coa
stal
Cit-
ies
proj
ect a
re a
vaila
ble
at:
http
://sh
ellc
ente
r.ric
e.ed
u/re
sear
ch.c
fm
Res
earc
hR
esea
rch
9S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
ty8
Ric
e un
iver
sity
11S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
ty10
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
Ric
e U
nive
rsit
y -
Nan
kai U
nive
rsit
y P
roje
ctR
ice
Uni
vers
ity
- N
anka
i Uni
vers
ity
Pro
ject
The
eco
nom
ic d
evel
opm
ent
in C
hina
tod
ay m
ay b
e th
e m
ost
sig-
nifi c
ant
deve
lopm
ent
in t
he h
isto
ry o
f hu
man
ity.
How
ever
, th
is r
apid
ec
onom
ic g
row
th h
as c
ome
larg
ely
at t
he c
ost
of s
igni
fi can
t de
terio
-ra
tion
of t
he e
nviro
nmen
t. I
n ad
ditio
n, w
ith t
his
acce
lera
ted
deve
l-op
men
t w
ill c
ome
enor
mou
s de
man
ds o
n na
tura
l res
ourc
es a
nd a
n ev
er-in
crea
sing
nee
d fo
r re
sour
ce p
olic
y to
ins
ure
a be
tter
life
for
futu
re g
ener
atio
ns.
Man
y of
the
env
ironm
enta
l ch
alle
nges
in
Chi
na t
oday
hav
e be
en
face
d by
Am
eric
ans
in t
he p
ast
few
dec
ades
, an
d co
ntin
ue t
o ch
al-
leng
e ou
r be
st s
chol
ars
and
priv
ate
and
publ
ic le
ader
s. T
hese
cha
l-le
nges
incl
ude
adeq
uate
sup
ply
of e
nerg
y, s
afe
wat
er, c
lean
air,
and
un
pollu
ted
soils
and
sed
imen
ts.
The
re a
re a
lso
man
y ot
her p
robl
ems
that
are
qui
te u
niqu
e an
d ca
n on
ly b
e so
lved
by
inno
vativ
e te
chno
lo-
gies
and
cre
ativ
e th
inki
ng.
The
se s
imila
ritie
s an
d di
ffere
nces
are
gr
eat
oppo
rtun
ities
for
sch
olar
s an
d co
mpa
nies
in
both
Chi
na a
nd
the
U.S
. to
deve
lop
the
mos
t effe
ctiv
e so
lutio
ns th
at r
equi
re n
ew s
ci-
ence
and
eng
inee
ring.
The
ide
a of
for
min
g a
colla
bora
tive
orga
niza
tion
was
ini
tiate
d in
M
arch
200
5.
Ric
e P
resi
dent
Lee
bron
sig
ned
a m
emor
andu
m o
f un
-de
rsta
ndin
g fo
r ac
adem
ic c
olla
bora
tion
with
the
n N
anka
i P
resi
dent
H
ou Z
ixin
in J
uly
of th
at y
ear.
Dur
ing
the
next
two
year
s, th
e pr
ofes
-so
rs a
nd r
esea
rche
rs v
isite
d bo
th c
ampu
ses
mor
e th
an 2
0 tim
es a
nd
esta
blis
hed
a co
nsen
sus
for a
Cen
ter f
or E
nviro
nmen
tal R
emed
iatio
n an
d S
usta
inab
le D
evel
opm
ent.
The
Cen
ter
was
offi
cial
ly l
aunc
hed
at R
ice
Uni
vers
ity b
y P
resi
dent
Lee
bron
dur
ing
an in
augu
ral m
eetin
g on
Feb
ruar
y 26
, 200
7.
In t
he p
ast
thre
e ye
ars,
res
earc
hers
fro
m b
oth
univ
ersi
ties
plan
ned
a to
tal o
f eig
htee
n re
sear
ch p
roje
cts
and
nine
of t
hose
pro
ject
s ha
ve
obta
ined
fi na
ncia
l sup
port
.
1)
Bio
avai
labi
lity
for
pers
iste
nt o
rgan
ic p
ollu
tion
in s
oil a
nd
se
dim
ent.
2)
Rea
ctiv
ity o
f res
ista
nt o
rgan
ic p
ollu
tion.
3)
Fie
ld c
hara
cter
izat
ion
and
envi
ronm
enta
l beh
avio
r of
antib
iotic
-res
ista
nt g
enes
.4)
D
istr
ibut
ion
and
ecol
ogic
al r
isk
of a
ntib
iotic
-res
ista
nt g
enes
in fi
sher
y.5)
B
inar
y ef
fect
of n
ano-
size
d iro
n an
d m
icro
bes
in tr
ichl
oroe
th-
yl
ene
rem
oval
in g
roun
dwat
er.
6)
Ars
enic
rem
oval
in d
rinki
ng w
ater
by
nano
mag
netit
e.7)
E
colo
gica
l im
pact
of a
rtifi
cial
nan
o-m
ater
ials
in a
quat
ic
en
viro
nmen
t.8)
N
ew m
embr
ane
tech
nolo
gy fo
r dr
inki
ng w
ater
app
licat
ion.
9)
Con
stru
ctio
n of
a jo
int C
ente
r la
bora
tory
.
In a
dditi
on,
a m
ajor
pro
ject
to
rem
edia
te p
etro
leum
-con
tam
inat
ed
soil
in o
il fi e
lds
has
been
fun
ded
by t
he C
hine
se M
inis
try
of S
cien
ce
and
Tech
nolo
gy. T
he r
esea
rch
com
mun
icat
ion
and
coop
erat
ion
with
R
ice
Uni
vers
ity h
as g
reat
ly f
acili
tate
d th
e re
sear
ch in
the
fi el
d of
pe-
trol
eum
-con
tam
inat
ed s
oil r
emed
iatio
n of
Nan
kai U
nive
rsity
.
In 2
008,
the
Cen
ter’
s m
ajor
goa
l is
to
stre
ngth
en e
xist
ing
area
s of
co
llabo
ratio
n an
d re
sear
ch t
o la
unch
int
o a
ten-
year
col
labo
rativ
e pl
an t
o ta
rget
ene
rgy
and
envi
ronm
enta
l is
sues
. T
he C
ente
r is
cur
-re
ntly
wor
king
clo
sely
with
the
Min
istr
y of
Sci
ence
and
Tec
hnol
ogy
to
deve
lop
a co
llabo
rativ
e re
sear
ch p
lan
on e
nerg
y an
d en
viro
nmen
t. T
he C
ente
r’s
fi rst
ann
ual
mee
ting
will
be
held
fro
m M
arch
20-
21,
2008
in T
ianj
in E
cono
mic
-Tec
hnol
ogic
al D
evel
opm
ent A
rea
(TE
DA
).
The
the
me
of t
his
year
’s f
orum
is
“Ene
rgy,
Env
ironm
ent
and
Sus
-ta
inab
le D
evel
opm
ent:
Opp
ortu
nitie
s fo
r C
hina
-US
Col
labo
ratio
n.”
Spe
aker
s w
ill i
nclu
de h
igh-
leve
l of
fi cia
ls f
rom
Tia
njin
, B
inha
i N
ew
Are
a of
Tia
njin
(B
NA
T),
TE
DA
gov
ernm
ents
, th
e M
inis
try
of S
cien
ce
and
Tech
nolo
gy a
nd th
e M
inis
try
of E
duca
tion,
uni
vers
ity le
ader
s an
d in
dust
ry a
nd f
acul
ty r
epre
sent
ativ
es.
A t
our
of T
ED
A a
nd B
NA
T w
ill
take
pla
ce o
n th
e se
cond
day
.
For
a li
stin
g of
pro
ject
s an
d pu
blic
atio
ns u
nder
take
n to
dat
e, v
isit
the
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
-Nan
kai U
nive
rsity
Par
tner
ship
pro
ject
link
at:
http
://sh
ellc
ente
r.ric
e.ed
u/re
sear
ch.c
fm o
r w
ww
.chi
nace
nter
.ric
e.ed
u
She
ll C
ente
r fo
r S
usta
inab
ility
12
supp
lies
at a
tim
e w
hen
glob
al d
eman
d fo
r w
ater
is
risin
g w
hile
av
aila
bilit
y of
rea
dily
acc
essi
ble
wat
er is
dec
reas
ing.
T
he r
esea
rch
will
det
erm
ine
the
amou
nt o
f w
ater
nee
ded
to p
rodu
ce b
iofu
els
from
di
ffere
nt
alte
rnat
ive
crop
s,
iden
tifyi
ng
its
sour
ce,
and
eval
uatin
g po
tent
ial
impa
cts
to
wat
er
reso
urce
s as
soci
ated
w
ith
incr
ease
d ag
ricul
tura
l dra
inag
e an
d re
late
d w
aste
s. T
his
is a
crit
ical
fi rs
t ste
p fo
r im
plem
enta
tion
of a
rob
ust a
nd e
nviro
nmen
tally
sus
tain
able
bio
fuel
s na
tiona
l pro
gram
.
The
res
earc
h w
ill a
sses
s th
e im
pact
s to
wat
er r
esou
rces
ass
ocia
ted
with
the
pro
duct
ion,
dis
trib
utio
n an
d us
e of
thr
ee b
iofu
els:
bio
dies
el,
etha
nol,
and
buta
nol.
Res
earc
h ob
ject
ives
will
det
erm
ine:
Incr
ease
d w
ater
con
sum
ptio
n, im
pact
s on
oth
er u
sers
, and
wat
er
1.
secu
rity.
Sur
face
wat
er p
ollu
tion
by i
ncre
ased
fer
tiliz
er a
nd p
estic
ide
use
2.
at th
e lo
cal a
nd r
egio
nal l
evel
.C
hang
es in
land
use
and
impa
ct o
n so
il he
alth
and
ero
sion
.3.
G
roun
dwat
er
impa
cts
of
biof
uel
rele
ases
an
d re
late
d ris
k 4.
m
anag
emen
t and
rem
edia
tion
issu
es.
Iden
tify
pote
ntia
lly p
robl
emat
ic fu
el c
ompo
nent
s, b
ypro
duct
s, a
nd
5.
impu
ritie
s.
Thr
ough
this
res
earc
h, w
e w
ill d
isce
rn w
hich
pot
entia
l env
ironm
enta
l im
pact
s re
sult
from
fe
edst
ock
prod
uctio
n,
biof
uel
proc
essi
ng,
tran
spor
tatio
n, s
tora
ge a
nd u
se a
nd p
ose
a ris
k to
crit
ical
wat
er
reso
urce
s. W
e w
ill d
evel
op a
nd r
ecom
men
d po
licie
s to
miti
gate
any
of
thes
e im
pact
s.
New
Res
earc
h P
roje
cts
New
Res
earc
h P
roje
cts
In 2
007,
the
She
ll C
ente
r fo
r S
usta
inab
ility
con
duct
ed a
cal
l fo
r fa
culty
res
earc
h. W
ith t
he h
elp
of r
epre
sent
ativ
es f
rom
She
ll an
d R
ice
Uni
vers
ity, fi
ve
new
rese
arch
pro
ject
s w
ere
sele
cted
to a
dvan
ce
the
Cen
ter’
s su
stai
nabl
e ag
enda
.
The
se p
roje
cts
addr
ess
issu
es i
n th
e ar
eas
of b
iodi
esel
im
pact
, su
stai
nabi
lity
of p
ower
gen
erat
ion,
pro
duct
ion
and
depl
oym
ent
of
biod
iese
l, ca
rbon
se
ques
trat
ion,
an
d na
nopa
rtic
les
mon
itorin
g.
The
se p
roje
cts
begi
n in
the
fi rst
hal
f of 2
008.
The
Wat
er F
ootp
rint
of
Bio
fuel
sT
he W
ater
Foo
tpri
nt o
f B
iofu
els
Mea
surin
g th
e Im
pact
of B
iofu
els
Team
Ped
ro J
. Alv
arez
(C
ivil
& E
nviro
nmen
tal E
ngin
eerin
g) a
ndA
my
Mye
rs J
affe
(B
aker
Inst
itute
)
Pro
ject
Bac
kgro
un
d
Bio
fuel
s ca
n re
duce
ove
r de
pend
ence
on
fore
ign
oil
and
prov
ide
an a
ltern
ativ
e re
venu
e so
urce
for
agr
icul
tura
l pr
oduc
ers.
How
ever
, su
cces
sful
im
plem
enta
tion
of
a su
stai
nabl
e bi
ofue
ls
prog
ram
re
quire
s ca
refu
l co
nsid
erat
ion
of e
nviro
nmen
tal
impa
cts.
To
avoi
d po
tent
ial e
nviro
nmen
tal i
mpa
cts
a ho
listic
per
spec
tive
that
con
side
rs
the
broa
der
impl
icat
ions
of o
ur e
nerg
y po
licie
s is
nee
ded.
Rec
ent
rese
arch
on
the
envi
ronm
enta
l im
plic
atio
ns o
f bi
ofue
ls h
as
focu
sed
on a
ir po
llutio
n, c
arbo
n fo
otpr
int,
and
net e
nerg
y va
lue.
Thi
s re
sear
ch f
ocus
es o
n a
criti
cal k
now
ledg
e ga
p, p
rovi
des
a sy
stem
s-le
vel
com
plem
enta
ry a
ppro
ach,
and
con
trib
utes
to
wat
er s
ecur
ity
and
sust
aina
bilit
y.
We
will
ex
amin
e th
e so
ciet
al,
econ
omic
, an
d en
viro
nmen
tal
impl
icat
ions
of
biof
uels
. In
crea
sed
wat
er u
se a
ssoc
iate
d w
ith c
rop
irrig
atio
n an
d in
dust
rial p
roce
ssin
g w
ill je
opar
dize
the
wat
er s
uppl
y fo
r ot
her
user
s or
res
ult i
n w
ater
qua
lity
degr
adat
ion
that
impa
irs th
e re
crea
tiona
l use
of w
ater
bod
ies.
“Eco
nom
ical
ly fe
asib
le” i
mpl
ies
that
th
e va
lue-
adde
d to
the
wat
er u
sed
for b
iofu
el p
rodu
ctio
n ex
ceed
s th
at
of a
ltern
ativ
e us
es.
“Env
ironm
enta
lly v
iabl
e” i
mpl
ies
the
miti
gatio
n of
wat
er s
tres
s or
wat
er q
ualit
y de
grad
atio
n to
avo
id i
mpa
cts
to
ecos
yste
m h
ealth
, as
wel
l as
decr
ease
d re
lianc
e on
ext
erna
l wat
er
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
13
Inte
grat
ed E
cono
mic
s, E
nvir
onm
enta
l, an
d In
tegr
ated
Eco
nom
ics,
Env
iron
men
tal,
and
Rel
iabi
lity
Mod
elin
g of
Pow
er S
yste
m G
row
thR
elia
bilit
y M
odel
ing
of P
ower
Sys
tem
Gro
wth
Opt
imiz
ing
The
Net
Eco
nom
ic A
nd S
ocie
tal B
enefi
ts
Team
Dan
iel C
ohan
(C
ivil
& E
nviro
nmen
tal E
ngin
eerin
g),
Leon
ardo
Due
nas-
Oso
rio (
Civ
il &
Env
ironm
enta
l Eng
inee
ring)
, P
eter
Har
tley
(Eco
nom
ics)
, and
Ken
neth
Med
lock
(B
aker
Inst
itute
fo
r P
ublic
Pol
icy)
Pro
ject
Bac
kgro
un
d
A
proj
ecte
d 40
%
incr
ease
in
el
ectr
icity
co
nsum
ptio
n by
20
30,
coup
led
with
the
retir
emen
t of m
any
olde
r po
wer
pla
nts,
cou
ld r
esul
t in
the
con
stru
ctio
n of
new
pow
er g
ener
atio
n fa
cilit
ies
equi
vale
nt t
o al
mos
t ha
lf of
cur
rent
cap
acity
nat
ionw
ide.
The
ele
ctric
tra
nsm
issi
on
grid
, al
read
y st
rain
ed i
n so
me
plac
es b
y cu
rren
t lo
ads,
will
req
uire
co
rres
pond
ing
leve
ls o
f co
nstr
uctio
n to
acc
omm
odat
e th
is g
row
th
whi
le
mai
ntai
ning
re
liabi
lity
and
effi c
ienc
y.
The
co
nstr
uctio
n of
ne
w g
ener
atio
n an
d tr
ansm
issi
on c
apac
ity i
nvol
ves
larg
e ca
pita
l in
vest
men
t th
at r
equi
res
inte
grat
ed a
sses
smen
t of
the
ir im
pact
s on
af
ford
able
, rel
iabl
e, a
nd s
usta
inab
le e
lect
ricity
pro
duct
ion.
At
a tim
e w
hen
man
y U
.S.
citie
s ar
e st
rugg
ling
to m
eet
fede
ral
air
qual
ity s
tand
ards
and
clim
ate
chan
ge i
s at
trac
ting
heig
hten
ed
conc
ern,
the
nee
d fo
r ne
w p
ower
pla
nts
can
be p
robl
emat
ic.
The
se
new
pow
er p
lant
s re
pres
ent
new
sou
rces
of
air
pollu
tant
ion
and
gree
nhou
se g
as e
mis
sion
s. N
ew p
lant
s al
so p
rovi
de a
n op
port
unity
to
ado
pt c
lean
er a
nd m
ore
effi c
ient
tec
hnol
ogie
s. T
he s
iting
, de
sign
, an
d en
viro
nmen
tal
perf
orm
ance
of
new
pow
er p
lant
s, a
long
with
ac
tions
to
im
prov
e ex
istin
g pl
ants
or
cu
rb
dem
and
grow
th,
will
cr
itica
lly a
ffect
env
ironm
enta
l su
stai
nabi
lity,
ene
rgy
relia
bilit
y, a
nd
econ
omic
gro
wth
.
Spe
cifi c
gro
wth
in
pow
er s
yste
ms
has
rare
ly b
een
anal
yzed
alo
ng
with
the
eco
nom
ic,
envi
ronm
enta
l an
d re
liabi
lity
aspe
cts
of p
ower
sy
stem
s.
Thi
s re
sear
ch
will
de
velo
p an
d in
tegr
ate
stat
e-of
-the
-sc
ienc
e m
odel
s of
ene
rgy
mar
kets
, po
wer
fl o
w,
and
air
qual
ity t
o ev
alua
te t
he a
fford
abili
ty,
relia
bilit
y, a
nd e
nviro
nmen
tal
impa
cts
of
alte
rnat
ive
scen
ario
s fo
r sa
tisfy
ing
elec
tric
ity d
eman
d an
d op
timiz
ing
the
net
econ
omic
and
soc
ieta
l be
nefi t
s of
pow
er s
yste
ms.
We
will
us
e Te
xas
as a
tes
t ca
se s
ince
it
is p
redi
cted
to
expe
rienc
e m
ore
grow
th in
con
sum
ptio
n an
d ge
nera
ting
capa
city
than
any
oth
er s
tate
in
the
next
20
year
s.
Res
earc
h ob
ject
ives
will
:
1. D
evel
op m
odel
s de
scrib
ing
elec
tric
ity s
uppl
y an
d de
man
d in
a
dere
gula
ted
mar
ket,
the
func
tioni
ng a
nd r
elia
bilit
y of
tra
nsm
issi
on
syst
ems,
and
pow
er p
lant
impa
cts
on a
ir qu
ality
, clim
ate,
and
hum
an
heal
th.
2. D
esig
n da
ta s
harin
g st
ruct
ures
and
met
hodo
logi
es f
or c
oupl
ing
thre
e co
mpu
tatio
nal m
odel
s.
3. A
pply
the
lin
ked
mod
els
to e
xam
ine
ques
tions
of
sign
ifi ca
nce
to
indu
stry
sta
keho
lder
s, p
olic
y m
aker
s, a
nd s
cien
tists
.
Sust
aina
ble
Pro
duct
ion
and
Dep
loym
ent
of
Sust
aina
ble
Pro
duct
ion
and
Dep
loym
ent
of
Bio
dies
elB
iodi
esel
Iden
tifyi
ng T
he M
ost A
fford
able
And
Sus
tain
able
Team
Dan
iel C
ohan
(C
ivil
& e
nviro
nmen
tal E
ngin
eerin
g),
Kyr
iaco
s Z
ygou
raki
s (C
hem
ical
& B
iom
olec
ular
Eng
inee
ring)
, R
amon
Gon
zale
z (C
hem
ical
& B
iom
olec
ular
Eng
inee
ring)
.
Pro
ject
Bac
kgro
un
d
Bio
dies
el in
die
sel e
ngin
es c
an r
educ
e ai
r po
llutio
n, g
reen
hous
e ga
s em
issi
ons
and
relia
nce
on im
port
ed fo
ssil
fuel
s. B
iodi
esel
pro
duct
ion
has
soar
ed 5
00-f
old
over
the
last
sev
en y
ears
. Pro
duct
ion
is n
ow 2
50
mill
ion
gallo
ns n
atio
nwid
e, a
nd T
exas
is o
ne o
f th
e le
adin
g pr
oduc
er
of b
iodi
esel
. Des
pite
this
rapi
d gr
owth
, bio
dies
el is
des
tined
to re
mai
n a
nich
e pl
ayer
in o
vera
ll di
esel
mar
kets
. D
evot
ing
the
natio
n’s
entir
e so
ybea
n cr
op to
bio
dies
el p
rodu
ctio
n w
ould
dis
plac
e 6%
of t
otal
die
sel
fuel
use
. Oth
er b
iodi
esel
feed
stoc
ks a
re a
lso
limite
d in
ava
ilabi
lity.
Our
mul
tidis
cipl
inar
y te
am w
ill i
nves
tigat
e w
ere
and
how
bio
dies
el
shou
ld b
e pr
oduc
ed a
nd d
eplo
yed
to o
ptim
ize
the
envi
ronm
enta
l 14
She
ll C
ente
r fo
r S
usta
inab
ility
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
15
and
econ
omic
sus
tain
abili
ty o
f th
is f
uel
sour
ce.
Bec
ause
bot
h th
e pr
oduc
tion
and
depl
oym
ent o
f bio
dies
el c
an p
roce
ed in
man
y di
ffere
nt
way
s, th
ere
may
be
oppo
rtun
ities
to m
inim
ize
cost
s w
hile
max
imiz
ing
effi c
ienc
y an
d ne
t ben
efi ts
to a
ir qu
ality
.
On
the
prod
uctio
n si
de,
prod
ucer
s m
ust
sele
ct a
mon
g va
rious
pla
nt
and
anim
al-b
ased
feed
stoc
ks a
nd v
ario
us o
ptio
ns fo
r th
e di
spos
al o
r re
use
of p
rodu
ctio
n by
prod
ucts
.
Dep
loym
ent
optio
ns f
or b
iodi
esel
are
com
plex
. B
iodi
esel
cou
ld b
e us
ed in
a v
ast
rang
e of
die
sel e
ngin
es.
It ca
n be
ble
nded
or
used
in
pure
form
.
Our
pro
pose
d re
sear
ch w
ill a
chie
ve th
e fo
llow
ing
obje
ctiv
es.
1. B
iodi
esel
pro
duct
ion.
We
will
ana
lyze
the
pro
duct
ion
of b
iodi
esel
fr
om s
mal
l- an
d la
rge-
scal
e fa
cilit
ies
that
use
diff
eren
t fee
dsto
cks
and
conv
ert g
lyce
rol t
o ot
her
usef
ul c
hem
ical
s.
2.
Bio
dies
el
dist
ribut
ion
and
depl
oym
ent.
We
will
co
mpi
le
data
re
gard
ing
(a)
curr
ent a
nd p
roje
cted
die
sel f
uel u
se a
nd e
mis
sion
s in
Tex
as,
and
(b)
the
biod
iese
l bl
ends
tha
t ca
n be
use
d in
eac
h en
gine
typ
e. W
e w
ill d
evel
op m
odel
s th
at e
stim
ate
the
cost
of
dist
ribut
ing
biod
iese
l pro
duce
d at
larg
e- o
r sm
all-s
cale
faci
litie
s.
3. A
ir qu
ality
. P
ublis
hed
stud
ies
on b
iodi
esel
em
issi
on r
ates
will
be
rev
iew
ed t
o de
term
ine
best
est
imat
e ra
nges
. W
e w
ill u
se a
ph
otoc
hem
ical
mod
el to
sim
ulat
e ho
w a
ltern
ativ
e de
ploy
men
ts o
f bi
odie
sel w
ould
affe
ct o
zone
, PM
, and
oth
er p
ollu
tant
s in
Tex
as.
Thi
s re
sear
ch w
ill a
llow
us
to a
nsw
er a
key
que
stio
n: W
hich
pro
duct
ion
met
hods
and
app
licat
ions
of
biod
iese
l w
ill r
educ
e ai
r po
llutio
n an
d m
inim
ize
cost
s? S
uch
info
rmat
ion
will
allo
w d
ecis
ion
mak
ers
to
prio
ritiz
e th
e ap
plic
atio
ns o
f bi
odie
sel
to d
eter
min
e w
hich
are
mos
t af
ford
able
and
env
ironm
enta
lly s
usta
inab
le.
Car
bon
Sequ
estr
atio
n T
hrou
gh B
io-c
har
Soil
Car
bon
Sequ
estr
atio
n T
hrou
gh B
io-c
har
Soil
Am
endm
ent
Am
endm
ent
A L
ow-r
isk
Met
hod
To In
crea
se A
gric
ultu
ral P
rodu
ctiv
ity
And
Wat
er Q
ualit
y
Team
Car
olin
e M
asie
llo (
Ear
th s
cien
ces)
, Will
iam
Hoc
kada
y (E
arth
S
cien
ces)
, and
Kyr
iaco
s Z
ygou
raki
s (C
hem
ical
& B
iom
olec
ular
E
ngin
eerin
g)
Pro
ject
Bac
kgro
un
d
The
mos
t im
port
ant
driv
er o
f hu
man
-cau
sed
gree
nhou
se e
ffect
is
CO
2 re
leas
ed th
roug
h bu
rnin
g of
foss
il fu
els.
To
ensu
re a
sus
tain
able
en
ergy
fu
ture
, ou
r ec
onom
y m
ust
mov
e aw
ay
from
ou
r cu
rren
t ca
rbon
-bas
ed e
nerg
y so
urce
s. C
limat
e m
odel
s su
gges
t tha
t we
mus
t im
med
iate
ly b
egin
miti
gatin
g at
mos
pher
ic C
O2
Suc
cess
ful m
itiga
tion
of a
tmos
pher
ic C
O2 p
ollu
tion
will
requ
ire n
ot o
ne,
but m
any
solu
tions
impl
emen
ted
in c
once
rt.
As
part
of t
his
miti
gatio
n ef
fort
, a
num
ber
of
carb
on
sequ
estr
atio
n st
rate
gies
ha
ve
been
pr
opos
ed, r
angi
ng fr
om la
rge-
scal
e af
fore
stat
ion
and
refo
rest
atio
n in
te
rres
tria
l eco
syst
ems;
pos
t-co
mbu
stio
n ca
ptur
e of
CO
2 at
coa
l-fi r
ed
pow
er g
ener
atio
n pl
ants
; an
d pu
mpi
ng o
f th
e co
mpr
esse
d ga
s in
to
deep
oce
an a
nd g
eolo
gica
l for
mat
ions
.
The
se
appr
oach
es
are
stop
-gap
m
easu
res
beca
use
carb
on
sequ
este
red
by g
row
ing
tree
s w
ill r
etur
n to
the
atm
osph
ere
with
in
a hu
man
life
time.
Dou
bts
also
exi
st a
bout
the
fea
sibi
lity
of c
arbo
n se
ques
trat
ion
in o
cean
s, o
il or
nat
ural
gas
wel
ls o
r de
ep a
quife
rs.
The
re a
ren’
t eno
ugh
deep
oil
and
natu
ral g
as w
ells
in th
e U
S to
hol
d al
l the
CO
2 w
e pr
oduc
e in
the
next
10-
15 y
ears
.
It is
cle
ar t
hat
effe
ctiv
e ca
rbon
seq
uest
ratio
n m
ust
be b
ased
on
sust
aina
ble
proc
esse
s th
at p
rovi
de s
afe,
sta
ble
carb
on s
inks
with
en
ough
cap
acity
to s
eque
ster
a s
ubst
antia
l fra
ctio
n of
hum
an -c
ause
d C
O2
emis
sion
s.
Thi
s re
sear
ch a
ddre
sses
a n
ovel
ter
rest
rial
carb
on s
eque
stra
tion
tech
niqu
e, b
io-c
har
soil
amen
dmen
t. T
his
sequ
estr
atio
n ap
proa
ch is
lo
w-r
isk;
has
the
pote
ntia
l to
sequ
este
r lar
ge a
mou
nts
of c
arbo
n ea
ch
year
int
o lo
ng-t
erm
res
ervo
irs;
incr
ease
s ag
ricul
tura
l pr
oduc
tivity
; an
d im
prov
es w
ater
qua
lity.
16S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
tyR
ice
Uni
vers
ity17
Mon
itor
ing
Eng
inee
red
Nan
opar
ticl
es I
n T
he
Mon
itor
ing
Eng
inee
red
Nan
opar
ticl
es I
n T
he
Env
iron
men
tE
nvir
onm
ent
Dev
elop
ing
A N
ew A
ppro
ach
Team
W.C
. Hoc
kada
y (E
arth
Sci
ence
s), Q
ilin
Li (
Civ
il &
Env
ironm
enta
l E
ngin
eerin
g), C
.A. M
asie
llo (
Ear
th S
cien
ces)
Pro
ject
Bac
kgro
un
d
The
lon
g te
rm g
oal
is t
o m
onito
r en
gine
ered
car
bon
nano
mat
eria
ls
(EC
Ns)
in
drin
king
wat
er a
nd w
aste
str
eam
s us
ing
port
able
, lo
w-
cost
, m
ass
spec
trom
eter
s.
The
ob
ject
ive
of
this
re
sear
ch
is
to
deve
lop
a m
etho
d fo
r m
easu
ring
EC
Ns
in e
nviro
nmen
tal
sam
ples
an
d un
ders
tand
bac
kgro
und
leve
ls a
nd s
ourc
es.
As
nano
scal
e sc
ienc
e an
d te
chno
logi
es d
evel
op,
it is
im
port
ant
to
asse
ss t
he e
nviro
nmen
tal i
mpa
ct o
f E
CN
s. E
arly
res
earc
h su
gges
ts
that
EC
N p
artic
les
coul
d pr
esen
t a
sign
ifi ca
nt t
hrea
t to
wat
er q
ualit
y an
d ec
osys
tem
hea
lth.
We
need
rel
iabl
e m
etho
ds f
or d
etec
ting
and
quan
tifyi
ng E
CN
s so
that
we
can
iden
tify
rele
ase
poin
ts, a
sses
s fa
te,
and
mon
itor
expo
sure
.
Qua
ntita
tive
extr
actio
n of
EC
Ns
from
env
ironm
enta
l sa
mpl
es w
ill
be d
iffi c
ult.
We
will
exp
lain
why
a t
radi
tiona
l app
roac
h fo
r de
tect
ing
and
quan
tifyi
ng E
CN
s in
the
env
ironm
ent
is n
ot a
ppro
pria
te.
We
will
sho
w h
ow t
o de
velo
p th
is m
etho
d fo
r en
viro
nmen
tal
mon
itorin
g ap
plic
aito
ns.
18S
hell
Cen
ter
for
Sus
tain
abili
tyR
ice
Uni
vers
ity19
Ack
now
ledg
emen
tsA
ckno
wle
dgem
ents
We
wou
ld li
ke to
than
k al
l our
res
earc
hers
, fac
ulty
and
stu
dent
s fo
r th
eir
part
icip
a-tio
n in
the
deve
lopm
ent o
f sus
tain
able
res
earc
h. W
e al
so th
ank
thos
e re
sear
cher
s w
ho d
evel
oped
inno
vativ
e co
ncep
ts to
adv
ance
our
obj
ectiv
es.
Tha
nk y
ou t
o th
e M
anag
emen
t C
omm
ittee
and
the
Ope
ratin
g C
omm
ittee
for
the
ir le
ader
ship
and
des
ire to
insp
ire th
e on
goin
g di
rect
ion
of th
e C
ente
r.
We
reco
gniz
e S
hell
Oil
Com
pany
for
exe
mpl
ifyin
g on
goin
g co
mm
unity
eng
age-
men
t rig
ht h
ere
in H
oust
on th
roug
h th
eir
cont
inui
ng s
uppo
rt o
f the
She
ll C
ente
r fo
r S
usta
inab
ility
at R
ice
Uni
vers
ity.
We
also
ack
now
ledg
e th
e va
rious
org
aniz
atio
ns b
oth
with
in R
ice
Uni
vers
ity a
nd
beyo
nd t
he i
nstit
tutio
n, f
or t
heir
cont
inue
d su
ppor
t an
d co
llabo
ratio
n, p
artic
ular
ly
our p
artn
ers
in th
e S
choo
l of S
ocia
l Sci
ence
s, E
ES
I, th
e Ja
mes
A. B
aker
III I
nstit
ute
of P
ublic
Pol
icy,
the
Ric
e E
nerg
y P
rogr
am, t
he J
esse
H. J
ones
Gra
duat
e S
choo
l of
Man
agem
ent,
the
Bro
wn
Sch
ool o
f E
ngin
eerin
g, t
he W
eiss
Sch
ool o
f N
atur
al S
ci-
ence
s, th
e S
choo
l of H
uman
ities
, and
the
Sch
ool o
f Arc
hite
ctur
e.
Cre
dits
Cre
dits
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
, cov
er p
age
phot
o, S
CS
, L. A
ndre
.R
ice
Uni
vers
tiy, p
hoto
, pag
e 3,
SC
S, L
. And
re.
Ric
e U
nive
rsity
, pho
to, p
ages
4-5
, SC
S, L
. And
re.
Nig
ht s
ky, p
hoto
, pag
e 6-
7, N
AS
A.
Texa
s na
ture
, pho
to 1
& 2
, pag
e 8,
Tex
as P
arks
and
Wild
life
Dep
artm
ent.
Cas
tal C
ities
, pho
to, p
age
8 &
9, C
osta
l Citi
es T
eam
,N
anka
i Uni
vers
ity, p
hoto
1, 2
, 3 &
4, p
ages
10
& 1
1, R
ice-
Nan
kai T
eam
.P
itche
r P
lant
s ph
oto,
pag
e 12
& 1
3, T
esas
Par
ks a
nd W
ildlif
e D
epar
tmen
t.N
ight
ligh
ts, p
hoto
pag
e 10
-11,
NA
SA
. Te
xas
bird
s, p
hoto
1 &
2, T
exas
Par
ks a
nd W
ildlif
e D
epar
tmen
t.R
ice
Uni
vers
ity, b
ack
cove
r ph
oto,
SC
S, L
. And
re
