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  • Offer Profile
  • SEMTE is leveraging the synergy of engineering and science to develop new knowledge and technologies, and create innovative solutions to society’s most pressing problems.

    ASU is a leader in adapting sustainable technologies to the campus environment. To date, 1.88 MW of solar electricity has been installed, with more on the way. By December 31, 2009, the total installed generating capacity of the Solar PV Systems is expected to be 10.486 MW (details). Additionally, several buildings on campus have been LEED certified, with the Biodesign B building achieving platinum certification. Campus energy usage is continuously monitored as part of the Campus Metabolism project.
     
Product Portfolio
  • Programs

      • Solar Energy Engineering & Commercialization

      • The Solar Energy Engineering & Commercialization graduate program offers advanced, interdisciplinary education in solar energy to students with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). The objective of the program is to enable graduates to pursue careers in industry, government, or the nonprofit sector that involve solar energy and its utilization. Students in the program must select courses from both technical and nontechnical tracks, including solar energy policy, spanning a number of academic programs and schools. Opportunities exist for engagement with the solar energy industry and/or government policymakers, leading to a required culminating applied research project. The degree program is meant to be completed in 12 months for full-time students.
        The program assesses a fee in addition to the ordinary tuition charged for graduate study at ASU. Please click the “Tuition” tab for more information.

        Solar Energy Engineering & Commercialization, P.S.M.: the professional science master’s (PSM) is one of a relatively new type of graduate programs that are aimed at students interested in graduate studies, but who are not necessarily interested in a Ph.D. or an MBA. Rather, such students desire both technical and nontechnical aspects to their graduate education. Across the USA there are at least 200 PSM programs currently in existence, according to the National Professional Science Master’s Association (NPSMA). The PSM in Solar Energy Engineering & Commercialization at ASU is the only program of its kind that enables students to not only develop improved understanding of solar energy technologies, but also the business/policy/nontechnical aspects necessary for successful development and commercialization.

        Objective 1. Students will be able to demonstrate & apply social, engineering, political, technical, & business skills that influence implementation of solar energy
        Objective 2. Students will be able to integrate skills from multiple disciplines, and will demonstrate problem solving and critical thinking in a multidisciplinary experience that includes technical and “non-technical” areas
        Objective 3. Students will participate in a collaborative mentoring program which will focus student projects on high-impact solutions to solar energy & commercialization problems

        Brief descriptions of the required courses are given here. For descriptions of the elective courses, please consult the ASU online catalog.
        ALT 535 Applied Photovoltaics. (3) Term projects, overview of solar radiation, operating principles, qualitative analysis on influencing parameters, market trends, basics of PV systems.
        MAE 580 Solar Energy Colloquium. (3) Discussion-oriented class focusing on topical issues in solar energy. Pre-requisites: undergraduate course in thermodynamics, or instructor approval.
        GCU/PUP 549 Solar Energy & Public Policy. (3) The relationships between research and development of a broad spectrum of solar energy resources, concentrating on the interplay between technology and society in the formation and success of public policy in the US and abroad. Field Trip. Fee.
  • Undergraduate Programs - School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy

    • Aerospace
      Engineering

    • Innovative research in all of the traditional core areas of aerospace engineering with applications to some of society’s most pressing problems.
    • Chemical
      Engineering

    • The program provides students with a strong foundation in chemical engineering and encourages students to individualize their education.
    • Materials Science & Engineering

    • Prepares students for careers in designing, improving and manufacturing materials for a variety of high-tech industries.
    • Mechanical
      Engineering

    • Innovative research in all of the traditional core areas of mechanical engineering with applications to some of society’s most pressing problems.
  • Graduate Programs - School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy

    • Aerospace
      Engineering

    • Graduate program is ranked 24th nationally among public institutions and encourages independent and innovative study.
    • Chemical
      Engineering

    • Current areas of graduate research emphasize biomolecular engineering, biosensors, flexible display technology and much, much more.
    • Materials Science & Engineering

    • Ranked 34th nationally among public research institutions, our graduate program is one of the largest in the U.S.
    • Mechanical
      Engineering

    • ASU’s mechanical engineering graduate program is ranked 40th nationally among public research institutions.
  • Global Institute of Sustainability

  • The Global Institute of Sustainability is the hub of Arizona State University’s sustainability initiatives. The Institute advances research, education, and business practices for an urbanizing world. Its School of Sustainability, the first of its kind in the U.S., offers transdisciplinary degree programs focused on finding practical solutions to environmental, economic, and social challenges.
    • Mission

    • At Arizona State University we think it’s incumbent upon us to think differently. By breaking the mold of traditional universities, ASU has become a place that trains leaders, implements change, and embraces an analytical focus on global solutions.
    • Research Projects

    • Arizona State University conducts use-inspired research, developing practical solutions to some of the most pressing environmental, economic, and social challenges of sustainability, especially as they relate to urban areas.
    • ASU is Green

    • Arizona State University's reclaimed paint program has collected hundreds of gallons of paint which is used for painting restrooms, handrails, doors, and accents.
    • Campus Harvest

    • Arizona State University student volunteers gather campus-grown herbs to be served in university dining facilities.
    • Campus Harvest

    • Arizona State University Dining serves many locally grown foods including herbs and other produce grown on campus and harvested by volunteers.
    • Campus Metabolism

    • Joby Carlson demonstrates Campus Metabolism. Carlson created the interactive Web tool, which displays Arizona State University's energy use in real-time.
    • Decision Theater

    • The Decision Theater is an immersive, interactive, 3D-visualization facility for collaborative decision making. Decision-makers gather at Arizona State University's Decision Theater to visualize the future through a variety of simulated scenarios.
    • Decision Theater

    • Alternative scenarios come to life for clients of Arizona State University's Decision Theater, which uses simulation tools to facilitate decision-making.
    • Global Institute of Sustainability

    • A LEED Silver-certified renovation, the Global Institute of Sustainability building features energy- and water-efficient fixtures, recycled and recyclable materials, and more.
    • Sustainability Operations Officer

    • Ray Jensen is the Arizona State University Sustainability Operations Officer, charged with advancing sustainable practices throughout the university.
    • Solar Installation
       

    • Arizona State University's photovoltaic installations are one of the largest commitments to solar energy by a university in the United States.
    • Wind Turbine
       

    • Parapet wind turbines on the roof of the Global Institute of Sustainability are part of Arizona State University's plan to model sustainable practices.
  • More Renewable Energy Research at ASU

    • Solar Power Labs

    • Over 86,000 terawatts of solar energy reach the Earth’s surface each year- enough to satisfy current global energy demand 1000 times over. In 2008, solar electric power amounted to a mere 0.2% of global energy produced but it is at a tipping point with a growth rate of 40% per year. Exponential growth, enormous solar resources and the global economy's unquenchable demand for electricity increasingly position photovoltaic power as vital to 21st century technology. In this rapidly changing industry, the Solar Power Lab stands-out as having some of the most experienced researchers in the field. This, coupled with state-of-the-art facilities and institutional support, gives SPL the solid foundation necessary to push the boundaries of what has become a $20 billion sector of the economy.
    • Biodesign Institute

    • The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University spurs scientific breakthroughs that improve health, protect lives and sustain our planet.

      Our research is aimed at:
      - Predicting, preventing and detecting the onset of disease
      - Developing renewable energy and reducing environmental damage
      - Developing innovations that safeguard our nation and the world
    • Center for Bioenergy & Photosynthesis

    • The center carries out frontier multidisciplinary scientific research designed to use biological and biologically-based artificial systems to address societal energy needs in a sustainable manner, with an emphasis on solar energy conversion and bioinspired energy transformation to meet human needs, and investigates other aspects of photosynthesis that affect society and the environment.
    • LightWorks
       

    • ASU researchers from a broad spectrum of disciplines are looking to the light to solve society’s grand challenges.

      LightWorks pulls light-inspired research at ASU under one strategic framework. LightWorks is a multidisciplinary effort to leverage ASU’s unique strengths, particularly in renewable energy fields including artificial photosynthesis, biofuels, and next-generation photovoltaics. LightWorks will eventually include other light-based projects in fields ranging from healthcare to computing and beyond.
    • Center for Nanophotonics
       

    • The Center for Nanophotonics gathers a large group of faculty members from various disciplines to foster new ideas and to carry out collaborative research with enhanced inspiration. It integrates a broad spectrum of research topics ranging from fundamental study of photon-matter interactions to practical optical sensors for medical and biological applications. The center coherently merges education and research by embedding one in the other. The center is committed to not only high standard scholarship development but also the promotion of its technology commercialization. The very recent awards of two prestigious multi-million-dollar MURI (Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative) programs, both of which are led by the center faculty members, have marked a noticeable milestone for the center.
    • Center for Bio-Inspired Solar Fuel Production

    • Our mission is to construct a complete system for solar-powered production of fuels such as hydrogen via water splitting. Design principles will be drawn from the fundamental concepts that underlie photosynthetic energy conversion.

      A major challenge facing humanity is developing a renewable source of energy to replace our reliance on fossil fuels. The ideal source will be abundant, inexpensive, environmentally clean, and widely distributed geographically. Energy from the sun meets these criteria. Unfortunately, practical, cost effective technologies for conversion of sunlight directly into useful fuels do not exist, and new basic science is required. A blueprint for storage of solar energy in fuels does exist, however, in photosynthesis. Indeed, all of the fossil-fuel-based energy we consume today derives from sunlight that was harvested by photosynthetic organisms.