Congratulations to Carnegie Mellon University for breaking ground on a new energy/nanotech-related building last weekend, as they report on their university webpage:

"Under sunny skies that were later punctuated with daytime pyrotechnics, the excitement was palpable as Carnegie Mellon University broke ground for Sherman and Joyce Bowie Scott Hall — future home to the university's work in nanotechnology, biomedical engineering and the new Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation."

Located in western Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon also addressed issues during the ground breaking events about how to handle shale gas and water:

Presenting the four top energy topics voted on by the audience were CMU's:

  • Jeanne VanBriesen, Shale gas development: what's the story with water?
  • Baruch Fischhoff, How will human behavior affect energy futures?
  • Ed Rubin, Clean coal: oxymoron, or path to sustainability?
  • Jay Whitacre, Can low cost batteries help us to use more renewables and build fewer transmission lines?

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