Sustainable Minerals, Metals, and Materials
Date
The first meeting in this series will be Sept. 4 – 7, 2024.
Location
Westin La Paloma Resort, Tucson, Arizona
Lead Program Director
Administrative Contact
Sponsors
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Research Corporation for Science Advancement
Additional Support
Theme
Synthetic materials made with petroleum-based feedstocks, as well as the polymers used in a variety of products, currently create pollution and contribute to global warming. Clean energy technologies themselves rely on mining of critical metals and minerals that can damage the environment. Basic science breakthroughs in the development and use of materials that enhance new technologies (such as synthetic polymers, coatings, plastics, bio-inspired materials, critical minerals and metals, rare earth elements, and other related materials) will be critical to a transition to a sustainable and low-carbon energy system. This Scialog series will facilitate connections between approximately 50 early career chemists, materials scientists, geologists, ecologists, engineers, and energy system modelers, with the goal of catalyzing collaborative, cross-disciplinary projects to investigate how to design, manufacture, and recycle substances so that their use and production at scale is more compatible with ethical stewardship of our environment and decarbonizing the energy system.
Facilitators
Approximately 10 senior scientists will serve as Facilitators to frame the large questions under consideration, guide discussions, and evaluate proposals. Confirmed Facilitators include:
- Kwame Awuah-Offei – Missouri University of Science and Technology
- Will Dichtel – Northwestern University
- Peter Dorhout – Iowa State University
- Jennifer Dunn – Northwestern University
- Andrea Hicks – University of Wisconsin - Madison
- Amy Landis – Colorado School of Mines
- Ikenna Nlebedim – Critical Materials Innovation Hub, Ames Laboratory
- Eric Schelter – University of Pennsylvania
- Jonathan Wilker – Purdue University
Fellows
Approximately 50 early career faculty will be invited to participate as Fellows, with early career spanning the time from the first year on the faculty through recently post-tenure.
- To nominate yourself: Submit a Scialog Fellow Application here. Log in or create a new account, then go to My Applications and start a New Application. Use the “Scialog Fellow Application – 2025” application.
- To nominate another early career scientist: Contact the program director or ask your colleague to self-nominate using the steps above.