Speakers
Plenary Speaker
Advancing ALS Care Through Patient Partnerships
Dr. Richard Bedlack, Duke University
Dr. Bedlack attended college at William and Mary in Virginia and returned to Connecticut for an MD and a PhD in Neuroscience. At Duke, he completed his medicine internship, neurology residency, neuromuscular fellowship, and masters degree in clinical research science. He is currently a professor of medicine/neurology at Duke, director of the Duke ALS Clinic, and chief of neurology at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He has won awards for teaching and for patient care, including: best neurology teacher at Duke; Health Care Hero; Strength, Hope, and Caring Award; America’s Best Doctors; the American Academy of Neurology's Kenneth M. Viste, Jr., MD, Patient Advocate of the Year Award, and the ALS Association's Rasmussen Award for ALS Patient Advocate of the Year. He is a past chair of the North American ALS Research Group, and leader of the international ALSUntangled program, which utilizes social networking to investigate alternative and off-label treatment options for patients with ALS. He was recently named the Stewart, Hughes and Wendt Distinguished Professor, Neurology, Neuromuscular Disease at Duke University.
Energizing Hoosiers for Solar and an Equitable Clean Energy Transition
Dan Robinson
Abstract:
Each of us can help create a safer, healthier future for everyone if we promote an equitable energy transition here in Indiana and across the U.S. Doing so means not only exploring our own energy habits but also coming together with other concerned people to advocate for a just transition to a sustainable energy system. During this presentation, we’ll look at the work of Solar United Neighbors in the Hoosier state as one example of how we can help each other go solar in our communities but also advocate for just solar and energy policy at the state level.
Biography:
A native Hoosier and Purdue grad, Dan Robinson serves as the Indiana Program Associate for Solar United Neighbors, a nonprofit organization working in Indiana and across the U.S. to help people go solar, come together and fight for their energy rights. Dedicated to empowering individuals and communities to create a better world, his work is focused on promoting justice and equity through solar energy. His career has included community organizing, serving as a local elected official, communications work, and educating for social justice. Dan's experience has taught him how challenging it can be to go solar on your own, so he's eager to provide support and guidance to help Hoosiers take that step. Doing so allows them to create a sustainable, democratic energy system by going solar!
Future of H2 Economy
Dr. Alexey Silakov
Abstract:
Hydrogen gas (H2) is a vital non-renewable resource used in a wide variety of essential industries, such as ammonia and fertilizer production, steel production etc. Hydrogen is also one of the promising clean-energy carriers that gains popularity as an alternative energy source due to global efforts to combat climate change. The hydrogen economy encapsulates all aspects of hydrogen utilization, including hydrogen production, transportation, storage, and utilization. Unfortunately, there is a lot we still need to learn about every aspect of using hydrogen. Most importantly, since hydrogen as an H2 gas is virtually non-existent on Earth, it must be produced from available sources. Currently, most H2 is produced via so-called steam-methane reforming, which requires methane, water, and a lot of energy to generate H2 with a byproduct of carbon dioxide. Most commonly, industrial H2-production uses non-renewable fossil fuels, which, on its own, makes the production environmentally harmful, and the H2 gas produced costly. Currently, H2-production is responsible for about 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Solar energy systems may provide a renewable energy solution to this problem. Similarly, cheap renewable energy solutions are needed for storing and transporting H2 gas. In this talk, I will discuss the modern challenges of adopting a Hydrogen economy. I will also outline the directions modern science takes to solve such challenges and present my view of the future of a hydrogen-based economy and its dependence on solar energy.
Biography:
Dr. Alexey Silakov received his M.S. in Kazan State University (Russia) in 2003, and his PhD in Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf (Germany). His PhD project and his first postdoctoral work were performed in the Max Planck Institute for Bioinorganic Chemistry (currently known as MPI for Chemical Energy Conversion) under the supervision of Prof. Wolfgang Lubitz. After that, Dr. Silakov moved to the US, where he did his second postdoctoral research project at the Penn State University under the supervision of Prof. Michael Green. In 2017, Dr. Silakov assumed the position of Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the Penn State University. His research interests center on understanding the function of complex metallocofactors in enzymes and how such catalytic entities are tunned by the protein environment for maximum efficiency and specificity. His focus is on biological systems that can potentially be utilized in future biohybrid renewable energy technologies. One of his current research subjects is [FeFe] hydrogenase, an enzyme that can produce hydrogen with staggering efficiency and minimal energy input.