Upcoming Events
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··· January 27, 2010
Advanced Facades Research Collaborative Breakfast Briefing
A special briefing about the UO's School of Architecture & Allied Arts' Activated Facade Research Collaborative with Glumac Engineering. Keynote speaker is Pat Brunner of the GSA. White Stag Block, Portland, Oregon, 7:30 a.m. RSVP by January 22 to cherman@glumac.com
··· April 12-14, 2010
The Building Enclosure Science & Technology Conference (Best2 is a coincidental acronym and is not affiliated with Oregon BEST) is a 3-day event focused on specific aspects of performance of building systems with a view to high energy efficiency, good indoor climate and long-term performance. Academic research complemented with "real world" applications and case studies.
··· April 21-22, 2010
A 2-day forum for learning, networking, and business development that brings together project
developers, service and equipment providers, energy end users,
utilities, government, and others involved in building the new energy
economy.
··· April 30-May 2, 2010
The 5th Annual Northwest Solar Expo & Clean Technology Showcase
2010 offers multiple networking opportunities for
business professionals, installers, integrators and potential solar and
clean energy customers.
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CONTACT US
Oregon BEST
P.O. Box 212
Portland, OR 97207
Tel. 503-725-9849
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Thinking "Outside the Barrel"
OIT's Renewable Energy Engineering Program first in the U.S.
 In 2005, when the Oregon Institute
of Technology hired Robert Bass to launch its Renewable Energy Engineering
Program - the first of its kind in the nation - only four students enrolled,
two of whom dropped out during that first year.
Today, the program boasts more than 200 students: 130 at
OIT's east Portland campus and 70 at the main campus in Klamath Falls. The program's rapid growth is good news to local companies like Imagine Energy. They are snapping up graduates.
"We just got big very fast," says Bass, who is a professor
of renewable energy engineering. "We're
definitely delivering on our promise to develop the next generation of energy
engineers. And ours are a very different breed; they're renewable energy engineers."
 Of the five energy engineering programs in the U.S., the OIT
program is the only one focused exclusively on renewable energy. Read more or view VIDEO.
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SPOTLIGHT on Oregon BEST Research
Growing Bioplastics in Tree Leaves?
Oregon BEST Researchers look to poplar trees for production
 Imagine if it were possible to grow biodegradable plastics
within the leaves of trees...?
Oregon BEST researchers Steven Strauss and Ganti Murthy at Oregon State University are using a proposal
matching grant from Oregon BEST to explore if this might be feasible in hybrid
polar trees grown in the Northwest.
If even a small fraction of the
worldwide plastic production of 200 billion pounds per year could be replaced
with a percentage of biopolymers, it should improve the health of
the planet and positively impact the $300-$500 billion global plastics market.
 The researchers are
collaborating with Portland-based GreenWood Resources, one of the Pacific Northwest's largest
hybrid poplar growers. Strauss and Murthy say funding
from Oregon BEST was very important to securing funding from the U.S. Dept. of
Transportation to carry out the initial stages of the research. Read more or view VIDEO.
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Oregon BEST Researcher PROFILE
Building Better Green Buildings
UO's professor's case studies help her students, industry
 Alison Kwok, Oregon BEST researcher and professor of architecture at the University of
Oregon, believes green building practices can be improved by talking with
the people who design, construct, and operate a building after it's been completed and is occupied.
Kwok (pictured far right, with students) is interested in the social interactions of the owners, architects, engineers, and
consultants who come together to envision and design a building; the army of contractors
who construct it; and the facility managers and occupants who ultimately
operate and occupy the structure.
By
listening carefully to the stories these people tell, and not just reviewing
reams of data and piles of plans, Kwok and her graduate students are hoping to
help transform the overall practice of green building. Read more >>
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Executive Director's Report
A New Year, More Opportunities
After a
jam-packed 2009, Oregon BEST is looking forward to another terrific year! We
thank the faculty, business, government, and nonprofit stakeholders who
contributed to the many exciting accomplishments of the past year. Here are five things that you can expect to see from Oregon BEST in 2010:
- Another "Oregon BEST FEST" event. Our inaugural event last September was very popular, and
we look forward to offering another opportunity for OUS researchers and industry partners to connect.
- Continued investment in building out our network of shared-user lab
facilities. This
network provides industry and OUS researchers access to the tools and
expertise needed for discovery and innovation.
- Expanding university-industry relationships. Catalyzing connections between
faculty and Oregon businesses to spark collaborations, new products, and jobs
is at the heart of what we do.
- Increased federal funding for green building and renewable energy
research. Helping
faculty secure competitive grants brings research revenue and jobs
to Oregon.
- Success stories. We'll share news of successful collaborations that
advance research, develop new technologies, and help Oregon businesses
succeed.
As our state struggles to recover from the recession, we are striving to
support the creation of new jobs through innovation in sustainable
technologies. We look forward to partnering with many of you to achieve our
goals this year!
David Kenney, President & Executive Director
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From Daylighting to Solar Power
Oregon BEST Researchers IN THE NEWS...
 ··· G.Z. "CHARLIE" BROWN, the Knight Professor of Architecture at the University of
Oregon, recently earned a lifetime achievement award from the Oregon Chapter
of the Association of Professional Energy Managers. Brown directs the Energy Studies in Buildings Lab in Portland and Eugene, and is internationally known for his research in daylighting. Read more >>
 ··· PSU professor DAVID SAILOR and his graduate students have been busy giving tours of the new Green Building Research Lab at PSU to Oregon state legislators, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, and others. The lab is expanding Oregon's national leadership position in green building innovation. Read More >>··· DAVID KENNEY, Oregon BEST president and executive director, is a featured columnist in the Portland Business Journal's new online/print publication, Sustainable Business Oregon. Read his column, " Green Innovation: It Isn't Just for Startups."
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The Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST)
connects Oregon businesses with the state's shared network of university
labs to transform green building and renewable energy research into
on-the-ground products, services, and jobs that power Oregon's green
economy. Oregon BEST's founding partner universities include Oregon State University, the Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon.
Oregon BEST · PO Box 212 · Portland, OR 97207-0212Tel. 503-725-9849 · On the web: oregonbest.org
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