RE courses benchmark US, Japanese HEIs

A TOTAL of six higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United States and Japan have been benchmarked by the Ilocos Norte-based Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) to enhance their curriculum in Advance Energy and Green Building Technologies (AEGBT).

The university team visited the two countries to forge partnerships with globally acclaimed institutions like the US-based Rutgers University (RU), Columbia University (CU), Yale University (Yale) and the University of Connecticut (UConn), as well as Japan's Ashikaga University (AU) and Tokyo University (TU).

Virgilio Julius Manzano Jr., MMSU vice president for planning and strategic foresight, and Bjorn Santos, the MMSU National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center director and concurrent director for Sustainability and Futures Thinking, headed the team.

Joining them in Japan were Nathaniel Alibuyog, vice president for research, development and innovation; Willen Mark Manzanas, College of Engineering secretary; and Vladimir Ibañez, chairman of the computer engineering department.

Manzano and Santos engaged in a critical dialogue with Xiaoyang Shi, a postdoctoral scholar under Alissa Park, at the CU Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, where the trip commenced.

Shi's work in carbon management and direct air capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) provided the team with fresh insights into converting CO2 into synthetic fuels. It also showed the development of innovative materials for energy applications, offering a glimpse into the future of energy sustainability.

Meanwhile, in RU, experts like Mark Robson, Jennifer Senick and A. J. Broth noted the importance of including program and policy content in the proposed AEGBT curriculum while emphasizing energy assurance and resilience.

The experts said this move will «ensure the relevance and effectiveness of MMSU's proposed offerings in the rapidly evolving energy sector.»

In the next trip, Manzano and Santos said that the Yale School of the Environment's approach to sustainable building design and renewable energy integration «showcased effective strategies to reduce environmental impact through green technology.»

The AEGBT's tour of the UConn Center for Clean Energy