Education and Outreach

The University of Kansas is a major educational and research institution with more than 29,000 students and 2,300 faculty members. KU includes the main campus in Lawrence, the Medical Center in Kansas City, the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park, a clinical campus of the School of Medicine in Wichita, and educational and research facilities throughout the state.

The KU Energy Council led by members of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering are at an exciting time in history. With the emphasis of energy research at the top of public concern KU is well placed to make significant energy innovations in the next several years. New faculty members have bolstered traditional research strengths in catalysis, green engineering, and enhanced oil recovery processes have greatly added to research capabilities in bioengineering.

New research space and renovated laboratories have created state-of-the-art work space for graduate students to perform cutting-edge research projects. The center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC) is developing green technologies, in partnership with some of the world.s leading chemical companies.

Current undergraduate and graduate courses
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New courses

As energy becomes more and more of a topic of interest around the globe the KU Energy Council regularly adds new courses to its energy catalog. Visit regularly for the latest courses as they are developed and offered.
Professional development courses
During the 2008 - 2009 academic year the KU Energy Council will be holding three one-day short courses that are open students and the public. Topics and speakers are currently being planned. Visit regularly for the latest KU Energy Council short course offerings.
The KU Energy Council 2008 Conference:

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Adams Alumni Center
Lawrence, Kansas
R.S.V.P. by October 29, 2008
at kuenergycouncil.ku.edu
or 785.864.1759

Energy, Innovation and the Kansas Economy:
The first conference of its kind for KU, this FREE event is designed specifically for Kansas companies, university researchers, government agencies, and elected officials that have common interests in advancing the energy industry via research, development, and innovation.
- Morning Presentations:
  
  A national vision of future energy research and its impact on industry.
  Valri Lightner - Federal Officer for the DOE Biomass Program
  William Hagy - USDA Deputy Administrator for Rural Development
  Bob Noun - National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
  Also on hand will be key industry leaders to provide a national industry overview of energy R&D.
- Mid-day Presentations
  KU biofuels research specifics and perspective on energy research.
  Laurence Weatherley- KU Energy Council Chair
  Bob Honea - Director of the KU Transportation Research Institute
  Bala Subramaniam - Director of the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis
- Afternoon Presentations
  Industry R&D and growth, KBA's Center for Innovation, and future trends in biofuels.
  Doug Rivers - Vice President of Research and Development from ICM
  Bret Healy - Director of Bioenergy from the Kansas Bioscience Authority
  Adrian Polansky - Kansas Secretary of Agriculture
  The afternoon will conclude with a short reception and poster session highlighting key segments of the KU Energy Council.
Ongoing outreach

Recently at the 2008 Kansas State Fair, The University of Kansas Energy Council hosted Dr. Susan Williams at the University of Kansas Booth. Dr. Williams demonstrated various properties of the biodiesel fuel produced on the KU campus. The hands-on that included activities with viscosity and clouding factors were a huge hit with younger children attending the fair.

The Biofuels Research program at the University of Kansas integrates research with refinement of biodiesel in the university's two reactors, which produce 40 gallons of biodiesel every five days and operate continuously.

Once per week, used canola oil from "Mrs. E's," a popular dining commons on the Lawrence campus, is pumped into a 55-gallon drum and delivered to the KU Biodiesel Initiative's new refining lab in Burt Hall.

There, the discarded oil is refined, washed and tested, metamorphosing though this process into pure biodiesel capable of powering any conventional diesel engine.

Today, the project's impact is limited to the Lawrence campus. KU's biodiesel runs test equipment - like a Volkswagen Jetta, a John Deere tractor and a diesel aircraft engine - allowing investigators to perfect refinement techniques and measure fuel performance and emissions.

For more information about the KU Energy Council contact us:
kuenergycouncil@ku.edu

2nd Annual Energy, Innovation, and the Kansas Economy Conference

Education and Outreach

Current undergraduate and graduate courses

New courses

The KU Energy Council 2008 Conference:

Morning Presentations:

Mid-day Presentations

Afternoon Presentations

Ongoing outreach

2^nd Annual Energy, Innovation, and the Kansas Economy Conference