The Future is Solar: Harnessing Sunlight to Meet Worldwide Energy Demands

Robert Niederman (Molecular Biology and Biochemistry)

Within fifty years, the world’s primary energy source, usable fossil fuel, will be depleted. Where will our energy come from then? One answer lies in our ability to harness sunlight as a source of clean and renewable energy. In this seminar students will learn how an improved understanding of photosynthesis—especially in simple organisms such as photosynthetic bacteria—can help scientists harness solar energy for a variety of applications: from solar-driven microbial bio-refineries that produce molecular hydrogen as a fuel source, to the fabrication of bio-solar photoelectric cells that can convert sunlight into electric current. Readings and discussions will be based on current popular science literature.