News   

Interview with CER Director, Jan Kleissl, Featured in WalletHub

April 10, 2024

The article discusses the relatedness between eco-friendliness and personal finance.  Dr. Kleissl is featured as one of a few environmental experts and was asked a series of questions related to eco-friendliness at the household and governmental levels.  A snipit of Jan's interview is below. 

Q: What policies can state and local authorities pursue to make their communities more environmentally friendly?

A: The single most effective strategy is higher population density. This translates to more people living in condos or apartments versus single-family homes. Denser living reduces transportation distances and increases urban walkability. Multi-family units also reduce community energy use per capita because everyone's AC has to balance heat coming through 1 or 2 outside walls rather than 4 walls and a roof & floor of a house. Urban rezoning strategies are needed to permit higher-density construction.

Read the full article.

Collaborative $9M UC San Diego Award Aimed at Sparking Fusion Energy Breakthrough

February 27, 2024

In a pioneering initiative, universities, industry leaders, and national laboratories are banding together to accelerate the development of fusion energy. Funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) and powered by a $9 million budget over four years, the project named SMARTS (Surrogate Models for Accurate and Rapid Transport Solutions) aims to pave the way for more efficient and reliable fusion reactor performance prediction.

Funded as part of the DOE's $112 million in awards to the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program, SMARTS brings together a consortium of institutions including University of California San Diego, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), General Atomics, Sapientai, Kalling Software, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratory. Read full article.

UC San Diego is Part of DOE Grant to Establish Inertial Fusion Energy Hub

February 7, 2024

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a four-year, $16 million grant to a multi-institutional team led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and including the University of California San Diego to establish a national Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) Science & Technology Accelerated Research for Fusion Innovation & Reactor Engineering (STARFIRE) Hub.  

This IFE hub will accelerate demonstration of high-gain target designs, target manufacturing and engagement and diode-pumped solid state laser technologies, with development of these technologies guided through an IFE-plant modeling framework. The project will also begin developing the workforce of the future for IFE through partnerships with leading universities and innovative new curriculum development and implementation. Read full article.