Since its launch five years ago, the Johns Hopkins Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute has emerged as a national leader in sustainability research, education, and policy. To celebrate ROSEI’s accomplishments, the institute held two Earth Day events that highlighted its progress in two key mission areas; fostering partnerships within and beyond the university and serving as a hub for Johns Hopkins sustainability-related student initiatives.
ROSEI’s impact on students—from supporting sustainability-focused undergraduate groups and providing students with research opportunities to offering a new minor in energy—was the theme of the April 13 event. There, ROSEI leadership recognized the accomplishments of GreenHacks, a student pitch competition centered on sustainable solutions that address environmental challenges, and the Hopkins Student Wind Energy Team, an undergraduate group that designs and tests wind turbines and creates a wind farm plan for national competitions. They also honored seniors minoring in energy, an academic program begun in 2022 to address the growing need for trained engineers and scientists working in the energy sector.
“This is one of my favorite days of the year,” said Ben Schafer, the institute’s director. “Our students’ accomplishments and the momentum we’ve built by supporting their activities is a huge source of pride for me.”
ROSEI’s Earth Day celebration continued on April 20 with the Earth Day Showcase, an event held at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C. There, ROSEI faculty shared their research and held panel discussions that included representatives from industry, foundations, and government on topics such as, “Flexible Grid for Resource Adequacy and Affordable Energy” and “A Policy Framework for Flexibility and Energy Justice.” Participants also had a chance to network and explore opportunities for new collaborations.
Such collaborations are key to ROSEI’s mission—and its success, according to Ben Link, the institute’s deputy director. One such collaboration, the Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind (ARROW), a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, and the Maryland energy administration presented their work at the showcase. ARROW aims to expand the local offshore wind industry and provide greater opportunities for Maryland residents and businesses to participate in the growing clean energy economy and according to Link, provides an excellent example of the how partnerships leverage broad expertise and impact communities.
“The Showcase exceeded our expectations,” said Link. “The panels and talks were incredibly insightful and sparked a lot of meaningful dialogue between Hopkins researchers and external collaborators. That kind of atmosphere is exactly what we were hoping to create.”
Schafer added, “The events highlighted ROSEI’s ability to bridge campus innovation with real-world impact and how the future of sustainable energy will be shaped by collaborators from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and disciplines.”
