Renovation of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory-University of Minnesota, for research in energy and environmental sustainability

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This project is a renovation of research infrastructure within the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL), a facility of the University of Minnesota that is used for a variety of research related to energy and the Earth-surface environment. It is a component of a larger renovation of the Laboratory undertaken by the University of Minnesota. Research conducted at SAFL includes topics such as: hydrological and geomorphological Earth-surface processes, chemical and biological transport in the environment, tectonically driven erosional and depositional systems, two-phase flows, biological fluid mechanics and sustainable energy technologies. SAFL houses a range of facilities, including clean labs, indoor and outdoor channels that route river water and can handle the complexity and materials ? earth, sediment, biota ? of the Earth-surface environment, a wind tunnel, and a large-scale experimental facility to model the evolution of landscapes through erosion, amongst others. Renovations to the facility will allow SAFL to address research related to societal needs in the 21st century by expanding its research capacity in sustainable energy, notably wind and water energy and biofuels, and in landscape dynamics as a basis for restoration and sustainable management. More specifically, the main elements of research and research training that would be enabled or enhanced by the renovation are: interdisciplinary research in environmental science and engineering; research in turbulence and atmospheric boundary layers, particularly with regard to wind-power optimization; the optimization of methods for sustainable hydrokinetic and hydro-power; biofuels research focusing on optimization of algal bioreactors under variable environmental conditions; and research in environmental restoration and management, including streams, rivers and deltas. Groups that are spatially distributed will be able to participate in this research and research training through collaboration tools, visualization, and virtual experiments using the renovated Laboratory?s cyberinfrastructure. In addition to providing infrastructure for faculty research, the renovated laboratory will be used by visiting researchers from across and outside the US. The renovation will enhance the training that SAFL offers through its certificate program in Stream Restoration. SAFL engages in a number of formal and informal education activities that are likely to benefit from access to the improved facilities. It partners with an informal science education institution, the Science Museum of Minnesota, to design exhibits on environmental science. Each summer, SAFL hosts undergraduate interns for a program in River and Coastal Restoration. In partnership with the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, SAFL participates in science camps aimed at Native American youth. Working with the Science Museum of Minnesota and a number of Science and Technology Center program participants, SAFL staff take part in the Future Earth Initiative aimed at informing the public and policymakers about the results of research in energy and sustainability.