Release Date: May 2, 2008
Columbus, OH—Sustainability, energy, and climate change are at the forefront of world thought now, and Battelle has the minds to help shape the future.
That’s why the Industrial Research Institute (IRI) has tapped three Battelle executives to address the 225 top-level research and development decision makers attending the IRI’s annual meeting, “Macro Trends Creating Opportunities,” May 12-15, in Boca Raton, Florida.
Don McConnell, President of Battelle Energy Technology Global Business, will discuss sustainability, energy and climate change subjects. McConnell said the demand for fossil energy is increasing rapidly worldwide and competition for this resource will drive prices higher. Simultaneously, there is a growing global consensus on the impact of fossil energy emissions on greenhouse gas and its impact on global climate. Therefore, the current future of fossil energy faces a broad range of challenges, all of which imply substantial changes in the production, use and disposition of fossil energy emissions.
McConnell also is Battelle’s Corporate Senior Vice President with responsibility for Battelle’s energy business worldwide. He oversees the development of Battelle’s five principle lines of commercial energy business, focusing on near-zero emission hydrocarbon conversion, carbon management solutions, alternative energy, energy infrastructure, and nuclear fuel cycle solutions.
In addition, John Grossenbacher, Laboratory Director for the Idaho National Laboratory and Dr. Dan Arvizu, Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will speak. Both labs are co-managed by Battelle.
Another lab that is managed by Battelle, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, will have a presence at the conference. Mike Schwenk of PNNL was a participant in the IRI’s program committee.
Founded in 1938 under the auspices of the National Research Council, the IRI comprises more than 200 organizations working together to enhance the effectiveness of technological innovation by delivering the solutions and best practices developed through collaborative knowledge creation.
Battelle is the world’s largest non-profit independent research and development organization, providing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing needs through its four global businesses: Laboratory Management, National Security, Energy Technology, and Health and Life Sciences. It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $4 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 20,400 employees in more than 120 locations worldwide, including seven national laboratories which Battelle manages or co-manages for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Battelle also is one of the nation’s leading charitable trusts focusing on societal and economic impact and actively supporting and promoting science and math education.
Battelle’s Global Energy Technology business unit translates Battelle’s basic and applied energy R&D base into innovative commercial solutions, products and services. Including the operations of national laboratories, Battelle oversees nearly $900 million annually in energy-related research contributing to advances in climate change solutions, bio-energy, fuel cells, nuclear power, and energy infrastructure.
For more information, visit www.battelle.org or contact Media Relations Specialist T.R. Massey at masseytr@battelle.org or (614) 424-5544.
