Clarkson University Professors Susan Powers and Ken Visser are both being featured in a brand new exhibit called “Climate Solutions” at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake. Powers is being highlighted for her climate education work and Visser for his wind turbine efforts.
“Climate Solutions” is a display of climate leaders. Both Powers and Visser each have a panel with a few photos and an audio recording describing their work.
Powers is the Director of the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, and the Jean ‘79 & Robert ‘79 Spence Professorship in Sustainable Environmental Systems. Susan is an educator working to improve climate and energy literacy in schools and colleges through project-based learning. Her work in climate education goes beyond her job as a professor of environmental engineering. She volunteers in her community to support local green initiatives, helps integrate climate literacy into a state agency, serves as a leader of the Potsdam Climate Smart Communities task force, and has spoken at Youth Climate Summits at The Wild Center to inspire youth climate action and teach energy conservation.
In her research, Susan works with students to conduct life cycle assessments to track material and energy use and associated impacts through consumer chains. She is currently working on community-scale sustainable food waste management and motivating energy conservation in campus housing.
Visser is an Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. His commercialized research helps bring wind energy to rural and urban areas. He patented an energy-efficient ducted wind turbine that meets the Adirondack Park building height standards. These turbines are being installed in residential areas and farms throughout the park and beyond. He hopes to improve access to electricity and use this wind turbine for disaster relief, supplying energy during power outages.
As a professor of aerospace engineering at Clarkson, Ken continually challenges students to consider the impact of their engineering design decisions on the sustainable use of our environment.
The exhibit opens on July 8th at the Wild Center. To learn more, go to https://www.wildcenter.org/
