Professors Shelie Miller and Michael Craig of the School for Environment and Sustainability are among the recipients of the most recent round of the U-M Graham Sustainability Institute's Catalyst Grants. Catalyst Grants support projects that are designed to advance infrastructure solutions and that offer interventions to contribute to a more sustainable and just future. 

Miller, who is a professor of sustainable systems, is co-principal investigator on the "An Apples-to-Electrons Comparison of Low-Carbon Transportation Options" project. The project aims to promote the conversion of diesel vehicle fleets to 100% renewable fuels. With the catalyst grant funds, the project team plans to plan and implement a new demonstration that involves operating a North Campus refuse truck on 100% renewable fuel. They will conduct side-by-side analyses of fuel economy and vehicle performance of a truck using diesel fuel and the one operation on renewable fuel. This will provide access to a real-world comparison of ownership cost and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. 

Craig, who is an assistant professor in energy systems, is co-principal investigator on the "A Roadmap to Participatory Design of Nuclear Energy Infrastructure" project. Nuclear energy has powerful potential to advance the decarbonization of the energy sector but this potential has been compromised by a number of legacy issues and missteps. This project team will work on laying the groundwork for the development of a participatory approach to the design of nuclear energy infrastructure. Their goal is to produce a methodology that can be used to develop small reactors that serve as community-scale power supplies, which can help ensure the equitable and just deployment of new nuclear energy.

Read the full press release from the Graham Institute.

Shelie Miller

Michael Craig

Graham Sustainability Institute