Current Research Highlights

Reduce Emissions: Jonas Peters (pictured right), director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute and Caltech's Bren Professor of Chemistry, aims to create cleaner, more sustainable ways to generate ammonia, a key component of nitrogen fertilizer. If successful, such technologies could reduce methane use and carbon dioxide emissions on a global scale. They could even enable the use of ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel.

Clean Water: With the reduction of fresh water supplies around the world, clean water treatment is more important than ever. Jinglin Huang, a Resnick Graduate Fellow, investigates ways to remove minerals from ocean water using solar energy and a new salt- and pollutant-repellant materials—carbon nanotubes that have hard-to-corrode superhydrophobic surfaces. Her work could pave the way for easier-to-clean, more eco-friendly desalination systems that consume little energy.

A More Sustainable Campus

Energy: In 2018, Caltech's solar photovoltaic instasllations, fuel cells, and combined heat and power system generated more electricity than the campus consumed for the second consecutive year.

Water: Replacement of grass with mulched native landscaping along Holliston Ave in 2018 saved enough water to fill the Gene Pool 15 times over and avoided nearly $9,000 in annual labor and water costs.

The Built Environment: New campus buildings such as Hameetman Center and Bechtel Residence are pursuing LEED certification and have each achieved 30% water savings and 50% energy savings compared to conventional buildings.

Local Food: Chandler Café's rooftop garden is a source of fresh produce that reduces the environmental impact of thousands of meals prepared on campus every day.