The 2016 TSRC Summer School on Fundamental Science for Alternative Energy will introduce principles, methods, and approaches relevant to the design of molecular transformations, energy transduction, and current applications for alternative energy. Energy and environment are likely to be key themes that will dominate the way science and engineering develop over the next few decades. Only an interdisciplinary approach can be expected to succeed in the face of problems of such difficulty hence the team-taught structure of the TSRC Summer School. We hope this course will inspire a new generation of scientists to continue work in the field, or at least to have something of an insider's point of view as the field develops in the next few decades.

The tentative list of topics and instructors, in order of appearance, includes: Gary Brudvig (GB) will introduce the scientific basis behind environmental changes the problem that drives the whole alternative energy project and will provide fundamental concepts on design of bioinspired photocatalytic assemblies, including biophysical principles of light-harvesting, charge separation and fuel production revealed by studies of the natural systems and related to artificial electrochemical processes. Ana Moore (AM) will discuss approaches for synthesis of artificial antenna molecular frameworks, solar light harvesting and characterization of energy/charge transfer in synthetic molecular assemblies. Elena Galoppini (EG) will introduced designs and studies of rigid molecular linkers for the functionalization of semiconductor nanoparticles with dyes, chromophores and redox active groups, including nanoparticle-linker-donor systems for fundamental studies of nanoparticle electronic interactions as well as practical applications for photovoltaics (solar cells), sensors and other devices. Charles Schmuttenmaer (CS) will discuss properties of semiconductor materials that make up photocatalytic solar cells and characterization based on spectroscopic methods. Eric Bittner (EB) will introduce theoretical aspects of charge transport in organic electronics, including molecular modeling methods for simulations of electronic excitations relevant to organic photovoltaic devices. Victor Batista (VB) will introduce computational methods for design and characterization of molecular systems and applications to solar cells, photocatalysis and biomimetic water-splitting.

FACULTY

Gary Brudvig (GB) (natural photosynthesis and biomimetic systems, electrochemistry)
Ana Moore (AM) (antenna synthesis, characterization of energy/charge transfer)
Elena Galoppini (EG) (design of rigid linkers, dye-nanoparticle electronic interactions)
Charlie Schmuttenmaer (CS) (semiconductor materials, spectroscopy of carriers)
Eric Bittner (EB) (charge transport in organic electronics, organic photovoltaics)
Victor Batista (VB) (theory and computational modeling PSII, DSSC, photocatalysis)