.

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has announced an initiative for a new $90 million sustainability institute. At the 115th annual commencement ceremony, Caltech president Jean-Lou Chameau announced $30 million in gifts as the first phase of the proposed institute.

The proposed institute is being dubbed the Resnick Sustainability Institute at Caltech. The vision of the Resnick Sustainability Institute is to provide a path to sustainability by focusing on innovative science and engineering developments required for groundbreaking technologies.

The initial gift of $20 million was made by Steward and Lynda Resnick while an additional $ 10 million came from the Gordon and Betty Moore Matching Program.

The plans include a second phase of funding to be initiated next year as part of a challenge grant.
The new institute will also leverage prior grants from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and work already being done by Caltech researchers such as Harry Atwater, the Howard Hughes Professor and professor of applied physics and materials science, who leads Caltech's Energy Frontier Research Center, which was recently funded by the Department of Energy; and Harry Gray, the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry, and Nate Lewis, the George L. Argyros Professor and professor of chemistry, who leads Caltech's Center for Chemical Innovation, which is funded by the National Science Foundation.


-  Katrice R. Jalbuena

---

Sources:

¹ http://mr.caltech.edu/press_releases/13267
² http://www.caltech.edu/