Industry Descends on EARTH

EARTH – the Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub – is hosting its first Industry Forum on October 20 at University of Kansas

EARTH, an Engineering Research Center funded by the National Science Foundation and corporate investment, is hosting on October 20 an Industry Forum at the University of Kansas. Attendees will discuss the academic research, market potential, and rise of AI that are fueling advances in HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration).

The event will be held at Gateway District, the recently opened conference center adjacent to the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. More than 100 people from academia and industry have registered to attend.

“Launched just a year ago, EARTH is already making an impact worth celebrating,” says EARTH-ERC Director Mark B. Shiftlett in a video kicking off the event. “From refrigerant reclaimers to AC manufacturers, the private sector has helped guide our research from day one.” 

The forum will gather EARTH faculty and student researchers from six universities: KU, University of Notre Dame, University of Hawai’i, Lehigh University, University of Maryland, and University of South Dakota. Likewise, business professionals will share their perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the HVACR industry. 

The number of air conditioners, refrigerators, and heat pumps operating worldwide is expected to triple from 2 billion to 6 billion by 2050, supporting a $290 billion US market and a $500 billion global market. As an engineering research center, EARTH is charged with helping to meet that demand. 

“The gathering of multiple perspectives supports EARTH’s lab-to-market innovation ecosystem whereby today’s research will lead to the commercialization of new products and technology,” says EARTH Industry Liaison Officer Casey Williams. “EARTH’s purpose is to keep the ecosystem alive well into the future, which is why the continuation of the government-university-partnership is so essential.”

EARTH’s industry consortium members play a vital role in the nationwide initiative. Charles (Chuck) Allgood, Technology Fellow - Thermal & Specialized Solutions at Chemours, chairs the Industrial Advisory Board. At the forum, Allgood will speak about the importance of collaboration among the HVACR sector’s varied stakeholders in order to move the industry forward.

Additional speakers include:

• University of Maryland Professor Damena Agonafer, who will speak about research his team is conducting to enable the efficient cooling of data centers, which are proliferating in the age of AI;
• University of Notre Dame Professor Ed Maginn, who will speak on machine learning and molecular simulation; 
• Dennis Knight, former president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), will discuss the future of workforce development; 
• KU Vice Chancellor for Economic Development Patricia Berman, EARTH Innovation Officer Tony Von Sadovszky, and Lehigh University Professor Todd Watkins will join Williams in discussions about EARTH’s innovation ecosystem.

“Since EARTH’s inception, we have promised to help US companies stay leaders in technology and exports,” Shiflett says. “The industry forum is a momentous occasion, providing an opportunity to discuss our year-one accomplishments, goals for year two, and how best we can meet industry’s needs moving forward.”

Please direct EARTH queries to ERC-EARTH Director Mark B. Shiflett, mark.b.shiflett@ku.edu.