BC Partners with Livermore Lab Foundation on Research, Community Education, and Workforce Development
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Bakersfield College (BC) and the Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF) have entered a partnership
focused on scientific technical assistance, community education, and workforce development
to support carbon dioxide management solutions, including carbon neutrality, mitigation,
removal, storage, and climate change in Kern County and throughout California.
The Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, supports the fundamental science and
research occurring at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), one of the nation's
premier national security facilities. In this new agreement, LLF will provide a public-private
partnership link, connecting laboratory scientists with Bakersfield College's students
and the greater Kern County community.
The partnership will support BC's Valley Strong Energy Institute, a public education
webinar series, other BC events, as well as provide technical expertise from LLNL
scientists and engineers on research, grant applications and regional initiatives.
Lab scientists will serve on the Energy Institute Advisory Committee and other relevant
academic task forces in an effort to keep carbon management projects central to collective
regional energy efforts and initiatives.
Located in Livermore in Northern California, LLNL applies leading edge scientific
and engineering capabilities to the most pressing of societal issues. In the energy
space, more than 100 LLNL employees are working to predict and understand climate
change security issues and develop solutions for future adaptations. In 2020, LLNL
authored the seminal report, Getting to Neutral, which identified a path forward for
California to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Through this partnership, revolutionary
and locally relevant information will be shared through the Agriculture, Water, and
Energy Webinar series, which recently featured LLNL's Roger Aines, Chief Scientist,
Energy Program.
“California's plan to get to net-zero carbon emissions by 2045 is ambitious,” noted Kimberley Mayfield, Staff Scientist with Lawrence Livermore National Lab, who will be serving on the Energy Institute Advisory Council. “It will require innovation and implementation of both existing and new technologies. We look forward to working collaboratively with Bakersfield College and others in the greater Kern County region to help achieve these goals.”
“The Lab is heavily engaged in climate resiliency and in identifying practical applications
and solutions,” noted Sally Allen, LLF's executive director. “Our partnership with
Bakersfield College will provide a connection to that expertise - expanding access
to quality STEM education, research and fellowship opportunities. We're delighted
to partner with Bakersfield College and appreciate the leadership role they are taking
in the climate change conversation.”
Bakersfield College's Executive Director of Government Relations and Partnerships,
Norma Rojas-Mora is eager for students and the community to get involved. She says,
“This partnership with the Livermore Lab Foundation is really about education, preparing
solutions, and developing the future workforce for high road jobs. Under this collaboration,
BC's students will experience first-hand research experiences and the community will
have access to education that is meaningful to our collective future right here in
Kern County.”
LLF will also serve on the Energy Institute Advisory Committee and other relevant
academic task forces in an effort to keep carbon management projects central to our
collective regional energy efforts and initiatives.
“The addition of the Livermore Lab Foundation to our partners portfolio solidifies
Bakersfield College's intent to support a smart energy transition locally and statewide,”
said Liz Rozell, Director of the Valley Strong Energy Institute. “Strategic technical
partners will guide and advise our research, policy, and workforce programs at the
Energy Institute to ensure we are providing the most innovative training for our students
and the community.”
In addition to the formal partnership with Bakersfield College, LLF and LLNL recently
launched the Carbon Cleanup Initiative, which provides public education and classroom
learning materials on climate change, carbon mitigation and storage solutions. More
than 30 educators statewide were selected to participate in the inaugural cohort class,
including two BC professors - Gilbert Ayuk and Paul Murray. Additional information
on this program can be found at the Carbon Cleanup Initiative website.
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