Workshop – Advancing Agriphotovoltaics (APV) in Virginia

On August 6 and 7, the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture (CAIA), the Center for Future Work Places and Practices (CFWPP), and the Power and Energy Center (PEC) at Virginia Tech will be hosting a workshop on Advancing Agriphotovoltaics (APV) in Virginia.

The workshop will bring together industry leaders, policy makers, agricultural professionals, and other key stakeholders to:

Establish a network to support APV advancement in Virginia,
Develop collaborative strategies for supporting APV during the renewable energy transition, and
Explore opportunities and challenges in APV identified by diverse stakeholder perspectives.

The following panels will be held on August 6 to inform a series of facilitated group discussions on August 7.

Agriculture Panel (Moderator: Prof. John Fike, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, VT)

Eric Paulson, Executive Secretary of the Virginia State Dairymen’s Association (VSDA).
Meredith Ledlie Johnson, Policy Systems and Environmental Change Programming Manger, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE).
Jim Riddell, Government Affairs Specialist, consultant, and representative of the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association.

Solar Developers Panel (Moderator: Prof. Ralph Hall, School of Public and International Affairs, VT)

Lauren Wheeler, GIS Analyst for the Timmons Group in the Energy and Renewables practice and leads the Virginia permitting team.
Iain Ward, Founder and CEO of Solar Agricultural Services, Inc. (SolAg).
Jesse Robertson-DuBois, Director, Sustainable Solar Development, BlueWave.
Katie Hill, Director of Environmental Compliance at Strata Clean Energy.

Utilities Panel (Moderator: Nam Nguyen, Executive Director, VTES)

Tyler Schwartz, Senior Key Account Manager, Appalachian Power.
Geovanni Castano Cerpa, Technology Advisor for Dominion Energy.
Karan Patel, Managing Director for Clean Energy and Energy Solutions, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative.

Policy Panel (Moderator: John Ignosh, Senior Extension Specialist, Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech)

Dana Ashford, Acting Director of USDA-NRCS Ecological Sciences Division.
Aaron Berryhill, Solar Program Manager, Virginia Department of Energy.
Samantha Levy, Conservation and Climate Policy Manager, American Farmland Trust.
Carrie Hearne, Commission on Electric Utility Regulation.

The workshop is made possible by funding received from 4-VA.

Talking Transitions: How Cities Navigate the Green Transition

I recently had the pleasure of participating on Episode two of Talking Transitions, a new podcast series (hosted by David Weston) from FORESIGHT Climate & Energy and EY that focuses on how the transition to a sustainable economy may impact the energy and resources industry, the financial services sector, and Government.

In our poadcast, Prof. Abbas El-Zein (University of Sydney in Australia), George Atalla (EY’s Global Government and Public Sector Leader), and I delved into the transitions cities and urban areas are facing and their role in shifting to a sustainable economy.

You can listen to the podcast and the series on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The Front of the Library

Some new pictures of the library construction at Mzuzu University.

The Mzuni Library Initiative

The two pictures below – taken by Felix Majawa, the University Librarian – provide a great view of the front of the new library and show the progress that continues to be made.

View original post

January 2023 Construction Update

Below is a construction update on the Mzuzu University library.

The Mzuni Library Initiative

Progress continues to be made on the construction of Mzuzu University’s new library. The images below show how the construction of the second half (on the left) of the library is progressing. The first floor is complete and the columns/supporting walls are now being installed on the second floor. Malawi is also in the middle of its wet season, which is characterized by high temperatures and humidity and regular afternoon downpours. The clouds in the images point to some of this weather, which will hopefully not disrupt construction over the next couple of months.

View original post

July 2022 Construction Update

Here are some recent pictures from Mzuzu University in Malawi that show the progress being made with the construction of their new library. More informatiom about this project can be found here.

Library Construction Update

The foundations for the new library at Mzuzu University are now under construction. More updates to come once the structure of the library begins to take shape.

The Mzuni Library Initiative

The construction of the new library at Mzuzu University is underway. The images below were shared by Felix Majawa (Mzuzu University’s Chief Liberian). We will share more updates as the construction progress continues.

View original post

Establishing Data Centre at Mzuzu University

The Mzuni Library Initiative

The presentation below was recorded for the International Association of Social Sciences Information Service and Technology (IASSIST), 1st African Regional Workshop, from January 11-13, 2021. In the presentation, Felix Majawa (Mzuzu University, Malawi) and Ralph Hall (Virginia Tech, USA) discuss the findings from a stakeholder survey that was sent to faculty and staff at Mzuzu University and Virginia Tech about a proposed data centre that could be located in Mzuzu University’s new library. The abstract form a report on the survey responses is provided below.

REPORT ABSTRACT

Mzuzu University lost its Library as a result of a fire that took place on 18^th December 2015. In response, the university decided to establish two processes. The first was to restore information services within six months by creating an interim Library. The second was to design a new library in collaboration with Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture and Design in the…

View original post 239 more words

Alexander Wood Legacy

Here’s a video of my most recent conversation with Dr. Virgil Wood.

Beloved Community Initiative

In this next “in conversation” video, Dr. Virgil Wood talks about the Alexander Wood legacy, the Julius Rosenwald school he attended as a young child and the community that nurtured him, and the concept of a Deep Woods memorial park that is under development in Texas.

View original post

Houston Event – Dec 13

Beloved Community Initiative

At 4:30pm on Thursday, Dec 13, 2018, Dr. Virgil Wood, Dr. Carlos Phillips, Dr. Owen Cardwell, Dr. Ralph Hall, and Dr. Ryan Hulbert will be speaking at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston about “Lifting the Veil of Ignorance, Reversing the Jail Trail, and Jump Starting Viable Economic Futures for All.” Please come and join us if you are located in the Houston area.

View original post

Sustainability Curriculum Consortium (SCC) Webinar

Technology, Globalization, and Sustainable Development

On December 5 at 1pm (EST), Prof. Ashford and I will be giving a webinar on our revised textbook as part of the Sustainability Curriculum Consortium (SCC) webinar series. During the webinar we will explore the central ideas covered in the textbook and discuss how we teach such a comprehensive range of theories, subjects, and approaches to advancing sustainable development.

To pre-register, go to: http://bit.ly/2U2hm0C