<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><b><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Status
and Technological Challenges for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Options: An
Overview of R&D at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory</span></font></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Dr. Robert McGrath</b>, Deputy
Laboratory Director for Science & Technology, The
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Friday, November 20th</b></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><b>2:30 PM - </b><i>Light refreshments to follow</i></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://whereis.mit.edu/?selection=E19&zoom=16">E19-319</a></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><br></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><b>Abstract</b></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Achieving dramatic reductions in fossil fuel
utilization and associated greenhouse gas emissions will require major
transformations of our electricity generation and transportation
infrastructures. While there is
great enthusiasm and promise for renewable energy options, at present renewable
sources account for only 2% of our nations total energy and less than 4% of the
nation’s non-hydro electricity production. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are
advancing Wind, Solar, Biofuels, Building Efficiency and other technologies
required to enable generation of 20-40% of the nation’s electricity and 15 -20%
of our transportation fuels from renewable sources over the next two decades.</span></font></o:p></p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><b>About the Speaker</b></span></font></o:p></p><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Dr. Robert McGrath
presently serves as Deputy Laboratory Director for Science & Technology at
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. In this role, he oversees NREL’s
research and development portfolio which includes the National Center for
Photovoltaics (NCPV), the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) and the
National Bioenergy Center (NBC), along with extensive programs in Renewable
Transportation, Renewable Electricity, Building Efficiency, Smart Grid, and supporting
basic chemical, biological and material sciences for energy applications.</span></font></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:1.0in 1.5in"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Times New Roman'" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">
</span></font><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left:0in;text-indent:0in"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Prior to joining NREL, Bob served as
Senior Vice President for Research at The Ohio State University from 2004
through 2008 where he was responsible for research strategic planning and
investment; interdisciplinary research; regulatory compliance for human subject
and animal research, and Technology Transfer and Commercialization. From 1996
through 2004, Dr. McGrath worked at Penn State University where he
simultaneously served as Associate Vice President for Research, Director of
Interdisciplinary Programs, Director of the Marine Corps Research University
and Professor of Engineering Science. </span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">From 1981
through 1998, Dr. McGrath worked for Sandia National Labs in Albuquerque, New
Mexico where he served in various research and management roles supporting a
variety of R&D efforts. He
worked extensively with SEMATECH on plasma chemistries and development of thin
film processing equipment for microelectronics manufacturing, and supported
numerous other Cooperative R&D Agreements (CRADAs) with industry. His was responsible for high
performance computing applications and other selected programs under the
National Nuclear Security Agency.
Designated by the U.S. Department of Energy as U.S. Coordinator for
magnetic fusion plasma-material collaborations with the European Union, Russia,
Former Soviet Union States, and Japan, Dr. McGrath working extensively with the
Japanese National Institute for Fusion Science, The Japanese Atomic Energy
Research Institute, the Kernforshungsanlange, the Max Plank Research
Institutes, Commissariat á L’Energie Atomique, Kurchatov National Lab and
Efremov National Laboratory, as well as nearly every U.S. national
laboratory. </span></font></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Additional employment also
includes shorter periods working with Argonne National Laboratory, HRB Division
of Raytheon, Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs, Exxon Research, the Laboratory
for Laser Energetics and TRW.</span></font></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Robert
McGrath received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Science & Engineering from the
University of Michigan in 1980. He
earned Baccalaureate and Masters degrees from Penn State Engineering Sciences
(BS - 1972), Physics (MS - 1974) and Mathematics (MA - 1975). <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Dr.
McGrath has authored over fifty journal publications, many co-authored by the
numerous graduate students, post docs or junior researchers that have worked
under his mentorship. He has
similarly authored over eighty published abstracts and conference
presentations, in addition to numerous technical reports and seminars. Dr. McGrath was also co-author on the
Brookings Institute Policy Brief entitled </span></font><i><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Energy
Discovery Innovation Institutes – A Step Toward America’s Energy Sustainability
</span></font></i><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">published in February 2009.</span></font></span></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "></span></span></font></span></font></p></span></font></p></body></html>