Poster courtesy of College of Engineering

Strategy & Innovation

BU College of Engineering Hosts Showcase on Engineering a Smarter Energy Future

Catalyst Summit Friday will bring together students, faculty, and alumni to explore bold ideas and cutting-edge technologies 

The leaders behind tomorrow’s energy technologies—from self-cleaning solar panels to heat-storing ceramics—will gather on Boston University’s Charles River Campus on Friday, September 26, for the BU College of Engineering’s 2025 Catalyst Summit: Engineering a Smarter Energy Future. Part of BU’s Alumni Weekend, the half-day event will be a showcase of groundbreaking research and fresh ideas in energy, AI, and sustainability technology.

“This year’s Catalyst Summit will convene leading voices in energy technologies for forward-looking discussions of the science, technology, and policy that are critical for the country’s energy future,” says Elise Morgan, ENG dean and Maysarah J. Sukkar Professor of Engineering Design and Innovation. “We will showcase emerging research discoveries happening on campus and hear from entrepreneurs who are working to bring energy technologies to market,” she adds. “Attendees will hear directly from people who are paving the way in green AI, next-generation batteries, and energy distribution.”

For example, Ryan Eriksen (CAS’10, ENG’15) will discuss the technology he and Annie Rabi Bernard (ENG’15,’20) developed in the lab of Malay Mazumder, a former ENG research professor of electrical and computer engineering and materials science and engineering. Their system uses small amounts of static electricity to clear dust and sand from a solar panel in less than two minutes. If Eriksen and Bernard, with their start-up Sol Clarity, succeed in scaling up the technology, it could save the world at least four billion gallons of water a year.

Sharad Rastogi (ENG’91), CEO of the Work Dynamics Technology Group at JLL/Technologies, will moderate a faculty panel exploring cutting-edge innovations coming out of BU that have the potential to shape the future of energy. Experts include Emily Ryan, an ENG associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering, who studies advanced energy storage and thermal systems for clean, efficient power; Ayse Coskun, an ENG professor of electrical and computer engineering and systems engineering, ENG associate dean for research and faculty development, and director of the Center for Information & Systems Engineering, who researches sustainable AI data centers that adapt to changing power demands; Sean Lubner, an ENG assistant professor of mechanical engineering, who focuses on materials and systems for direct air capture of carbon dioxide and long-duration, high-temperature thermal energy storage; and Emiliano Dall’Anese, an ENG associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, who is working on real-time control strategies for distributed energy resources for resilient, efficient power grids.

“Transforming the energy future of the US requires not only cutting-edge research in energy and sustainability, but also the collaborations and real-world solutions that drive resilience and decarbonization,” Coskun says, “and that’s exactly what we’re advancing at BU.”

This year’s BU Engineering Distinguished Alumni Awards will also be conferred at the Catalyst Summit. The awards recognize exceptional alumni who are making an impact in their professions and their communities. The honorees are Huntley Myrie (ENG’95) and Devika Gholap (ENG’18). Myrie is vice president of strategy and business development, commercial, at Spirit Aerosystems as well as a mentor and philanthropist. Gholap is chief product officer of OptraSCAN, where she is spearheading the development of advanced screening tools, and a mentor and supporter of early-stage founders in healthtech.

“Catalyst Summit is a conversation-sparker,” says Morgan, “and a way forward to a bright energy future.” 

The 2025 Catalyst Summit is Friday, September 26, from 9 am to 1 pm, at the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering, 610 Commonwealth Ave. Register here.