Response Doctoral Program
“No” says Bessie Noll et al. (2021) in a synthesis paper as renewable energy technologies have significant advantage over current non-traditional nuclear reactor designs.
All posts by Melanie Paschke
Response Doctoral Programme: European Policy for CCS networks
Linda Frattini contributed to a policy report that evaluates possible governance frameworks for establishing a European CCS network. In principle, CCS projects are eligible for support through different European and national funding tools, but more ambitious support schemes for CCS projects through national governments seem to be necessary.
From the report:
CCS technologies are poised to help attain the EU’s 2050 net-zero target, mainly by effecting emission reduction in energy-intensive industries and underpinning carbon removal solutions. For this to happen, there is a need for a carefully planned and well-coordinated scale-up of emerging CO2 transport and storage networks, and for national governments to come forward with. This is particularly important for the Just Transition of many industrial regions and clusters in Central and Eastern Europe, where CCS can complement the deployment of renewables, especially in places where clean electricity is not available at the scale and within the timeframe required by the EU’s 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets.
Background:
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the process of capturing CO2 either through post-combustion capture [1] [FL1] or via direct air capture[FL2] [2], transporting it and storing it for centuries or millennia in deep geological formations or sequestering in mineral carbonates from CO2.
Continue reading Response Doctoral Programme: European Policy for CCS networksCould “advanced” nuclear technologies support low-carbon energy strategies?
Response Doctoral Programme
“No” says Bessie Noll et al. (2021) in a synthesis paper as renewable energy technologies have significant advantage over current non-traditional nuclear reactor designs.
Taking insight foremost from a 2021 study by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) on “advanced” nuclear reactors, their synthesis examines three non-traditional nuclear reactor designs based on three UCS defined evaluation criterion—safety and security risk, sustainability, and nuclear proliferation potential—as well as one additional criterion added newly, “economics”. Proclaimed advantages of non-traditional over traditional reactors are also included in an “Expectation vs. Reality” rapid-fire comparison.
Some of the arguments:
- Technologically immature non-traditional reactors have to compete with renewable energy technologies which are already today drastically cheaper on a $/kWh basis and have much steeper learning curves.
- Even with optimistic assumptions for deployment timelines, non-traditional reactors will likely be outcompeted in deployment by renewables and grid-scale battery storage (in some cases, they already are)—relatively more mature technologies that are readily being deployed today
- It is highly unlikely that non-traditional reactors will be able to ramp-up construction fast enough to stay in-line with climate targets.
- Nuclear reactors built in a modular fashion are not spared the curse of high capital cost and long construction times in practice.
- Non-traditional reactors introduce new safety issues that will require extensive testing and analysis. The technology itself is too early in its development stage to be certain of all possible safety issues.
Response Thematic Event: Sustainable Energy System – Who Will Lead the Way?
June 16, 18:00 – 20:30. More info and registration: https://www.greenbuzz.global/zurich/event/sustainable-energy-system/
This event is part of RESPONSE Doctoral Programme (DP) «RESPONSE – to society and policy needs through plant, food and energy sciences» is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 847585.
Continue reading Response Thematic Event: Sustainable Energy System – Who Will Lead the Way?
Lokale Nahrungsversorgung mitgestalten: 23. Juni, 2022, 19:00
Mit lokalen Initiativen gestalten wir die Ernährungslandschaft im Quartier. Ideen, Anliegen, Wünsche und zukünftige Mitmacher:innen in Ernährungsrojekten willkommen.
Informationen zum Programm: https://deinquartiernachhaltig.org/lokale-nahrungsversorgung-mitgestalten/
Das Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center zusammen mit GZ und Quartierverein Riesbach lädt ein: Im interaktiven Workshop können Quartierbewohner:innen gemeinsam die Ernährungslandschaft im Quartier und Zürich gestalten und bringen ihre Anliegen und Wünsche ein. Wir fragen: „Was kann lokale und ökologische Ernährung im Qartier leisten? Welche Hürden müssen überwunden werden und welche Chancen können entstehen? Welche Kapazitäten das Quartier Riesbach und Zürich?».
Continue reading Lokale Nahrungsversorgung mitgestalten: 23. Juni, 2022, 19:00
PSC-Mercator Fellowships: Science for Environment Policy’ News Alert
The European Commission has covered ‘The costs of diversity: higher prices for more diverse grassland seed mixtures’ in their recent ‘Science for Environment Policy’ News Alert. A paper of former PSC-Mercator fellow Sergio Schaub.
Proceedings of the Response Summer School 2021
How can we teach PhD student’s ways to generate varieties of transformative solutions to urgencies ahead?
Summer schools can enrich the learning experience of participants. The summer school proceedings are a summary of the learning journeys of the participants on the five case studies: Digital technologies for urban micro farms, circular approaches in the food system, vertical farming, sustainable and resilient energy, food and biodiversity landscapes, stewardship of land use change?
Report (PDF)
Citation: Response Summer School «Responsible Research, Innovation and Transformation in Food, Plant and Energy Sciences» Learning Journey and Reflection. Melanie Paschke (ed.). Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, 2021. With contributions by: Manuel Belanche Guadas, Linda Brodnicke, Dusan Denic, Danli Fei, Linda Frattini, Laurent Giguère, Reah Gonzales, Monika Katarzyna Goralczyk, Katharina Jung, Xeniya Kim, Simon Landauer, Yuanyuan Liang, Alberto Linares Quiros, Simone Markoff, Bessie Noll, Dabwiso Sakala, Fei Wu, and Francesca Zuffa: https://www.research-collection.ethz.ch/handle/20.500.11850/523545.2
Continue reading Proceedings of the Response Summer School 2021
Politikstipendien für Wissenschaftlerinnen oder Wissenschaftler
Die Stiftung wissenschaftliche Politikstipendien vergibt per September 2022 zwei Politikstipendien für junge Wissenschaftlerinnen oder Wissenschaftler. Die Stipendien ermöglichen Abgängerinnen und Abgängern von Schweizer Hochschulen aller Fachbereiche und Disziplinen, die politischen Prozesse im Schweizer Parlament kennenzulernen. Für ein Jahr unterstützen Sie die Arbeit der Parlamentsdienste im Bundeshaus in Bern. Die Bewerbungsfrist läuft bis zum 15. März 2022. Weiter (externer Link)
Conclusions from 11 years of PSC-Mercator Fellowship Program
Download evaluation report: PDF
The Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center finished 11 years of successful cooperation with the Mercator Foundation Switzerland. 8 fellows finished their theses and generated welcome inputs for policymaking in biodiversity, land use and agriculture, climate change in the alpine areas, applying a new barcoding tool to trace illegal logging of rosewood or international emission policies linked to deforestation.
In spring 2021 the PSC has set out to evaluate its long-term efforts in the PSC-Mercator Fellowship Program. PSC now published a best-practice report addressing two main questions: (i) How effective has been the competence-oriented transdisciplinary teaching? (ii) What worked well and what can be improved? The aim was to identify: (i) the impact of the PSC graduate fellowship programs, and (ii) the implementation measures that may improve future programs.
Recommendations 2021-2024:
Capacity building Offer training in transdisciplinary methods and tools for PIs, too (Fishbowl, PSC Retreat, 2021). Consider cross-departmental research and training programs that increase visibility and transdisciplinary research capacity (Interview 1, 2021).
Best practices and failing stories Provide “hands-on” examples of successful PhD projects to motivate students to experiment with transdisciplinary research. Stories of failures early on in the training process are also a useful resource (Interviews 1 & 2, 2021). Include formats for peer-learning at the very beginning of the fellowship program (Student, PSC Retreat, 2021).
Commitment and engagement Design the program together with the PI for him/her to fully commit to it from the beginning (Interviews 1 & 3, 2021). Transdisciplinary programs rely individual commitment and build on such relationships (Interviews 1 & 2, 2021). “Partners should define their responsibilities at the beginning of the project by mutual agreement” (Interview 2, 2021).
In-house advisor Allow time and resources for an “in-house advisor”. His/her role is to accompany the scientific and policy processes, while “helping the parties in their integrative efforts and mentoring. During the research process, this advisor will ensure that the participatory process is fair” (Interview 2, 2021).
Long-term institutional support Emphasize the need for continuous institutional support and reasonable time frames in view of coordinating and accompanying required for transdisciplinary processes.
References:
Dahinden, M., Vienni Baptista, B., Paschke, M. (2022). Going transdisciplinary. How to implement impactful transdisciplinary research and education programs in plant sciences. Evaluation Report. Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center: https://www.research-collection.ethz.ch/handle/20.500.11850/526113
Umweltbedingte Geschlechtsumwandlung in Papaya als transdiziplinäres Forschungsprojekt
Tiago Meier
Wer kennt sie nicht, die birnenähnliche Form, die gelborange Farbe und den süssen Geschmack – alles Markenzeichen der Papayafrucht. Tiago Meier, Doktorand am Institut für Pflanzen- und Mikrobiologie in der Gruppe von Prof. Dr. Ueli Grossniklaus hat sich auf die Spuren der Papayafrucht begeben. Er ist zum Ursprung der Pflanze nach Mexico, ins Reich der Maya , gereist und ist auf Hinweise gestossen, die auf eine frühe Kultivierung der Papayapflanze deuten. Die Maya wählten Papayapflanzen mit für sie vorteilhaften Eigenschaften aus, nämlich zwitterige Pflanzen, die sich selbst befruchten können. Die Spanier verteilten die Papaya in ihrem Kolonialreich, wodurch sie zu einer wichtigen wurde. Jedoch hat das sich veränderndes Klima auf unserem Planeten auch Folgen für die Papaya. Eine durch Umwelteinflüsse verursachte Geschlechtsumwandlung von Zwittern zu Männchen führt zu Sterilität und beeinträchtigt dadurch die Papayaproduktion.
Tiago untersucht die Blütenentwicklung der Pflanze, um das Problem der Geschlechtsumwandlung besser zu verstehen und um zu möglichen Lösungen beizutragen.
