At the the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), world leaders reached a new global agreement on climate action following two weeks of negotiations. Additionally, several countries, private funders, and NGOs made new pledges …
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“The implications are enormous”: graduate student’s innovative climate research could change building design
Gesangyangji’s doctoral research in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies examines how climate data can be used to inform building energy design. Other researchers have only studied certain design metrics or limited themselves to specific …
UW team among winners of Musk Foundation’s XPRIZE for Carbon Removal Student Competition
A team from the University of Wisconsin–Madison is one of the top winners in the $5 million XPRIZE for Carbon Removal Student Competition. The contest is kickstarting projects that could mitigate the impacts of climate …
Two Nelson Institute students awarded as Global Health Institute Planetary Scholars
The Global Health Institute (GHI) Planetary Scholars program has chosen a cohort of five students as scholarship recipients for the ’21-’22 school year, two of which are Nelson Institute students. The cohort is working to help …
Nova Tebbe honored as recipient of the 2021 Patrick Remington Distinguished Paper Award
Nova Tebbe has been honored as the recipient of the 2021 Patrick Remington Distinguished Paper Award for her capstone project, “Policy Roadmap to 100% Renewable Energy for Wisconsin.”
Capstone course contributes to the Kampala Clean Air Action Plan and the National Environment (Air Quality and Standards) Regulations in Uganda
A Nelson Institute student-led project investigating air quality in the capital city of Kampala, Uganda is receiving high-level national attention and is contributing to the first Kampala Clean Air Action Plan and the National Environment …
Meet EAP Student Nova Tebbe
Nova Tebbe is a graduate student in EAP and the MPA-MPH dual degree. She works with Professor Jonathan Patz to inform climate policy in Wisconsin, the United States, and other countries and provide perspectives on the health and equity impacts of these policies.
Dan York named a Nelson Institute Distinguished Alumni Award recipient
EAP alum Dan York received a Nelson Institute Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021. York was happy to find the Nelson Institute and Energy Analysis and Policy certificate as a way to combine his technical expertise in engineering with his interest in energy and environmental studies in graduate school.
Edwards finds that repairs to natural gas distribution system don’t always work
For the network of pipelines that bring natural gas to homes throughout the U.S., leaks are an ongoing challenge. Repairing those leaks can lead to safety and climate benefits by reducing the amount of methane (a potent greenhouse gas) released into the atmosphere. But a new study led by La Follette School Assistant Professor Morgan Edwards found these repairs are not always successful, leaving some of the potential benefits of leak repair on the table.
Tapping innovative balance of power, microreactors could enhance energy resilience
“The main finding of our study is that if microreactor vendors can reach their goals for total costs, and if they rely on low-interest government financing rather than private financing, then microreactors could be economically competitive against natural gas and increase the energy resilience of certain government facilities,” says Paul Wilson, the Grainger Professor of Nuclear Engineering at UW-Madison who led the study.