As world leaders gathered in the United Kingdom this fall to address the climate crisis, a team of researchers at the University of Delaware prepared to produce the next generation of sustainably minded engineers.

Thanks to $420,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation Division of Engineering Education, the College of Engineering’s Jovan Tatar and Mark Nejad are launching a new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site in Sustainable, Resilient Transportation Systems at UD in the summer of 2022, when a diverse group of students will have an opportunity to discover practical alternatives to one of the world’s largest climate change contributors: the transportation sector.

Ground transportation accounts for 10% of global emissions, according to the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), “and its emissions are rising faster than those of any other sector.” According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, emissions from transportation are the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in America, accounting for nearly 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions from the United States.

But as of right now, the U.S. and many other nations have no official targets or plans to phase out internal combustion engine cars, according to COP26.

Read more at University of Delaware

Image: Some students participating in the College of Engineering’s new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site in Sustainable, Resilient Transportation Systems next summer will be able to work on new approaches to electric vehicles (EVs), like a multi-pack battery system instead of the typical EV battery system shown here. (Credit: Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson)