Biden administration invests $167 million in climate-resilient energy infrastructure. USC experts available for comment
The U.S. Department of Energy has unveiled one of its most substantial commitments to date in support of climate-resilient infrastructure: $167 million in grants to enhance the nation’s power grids, making them better able to withstand the climate-induced extreme weather events and natural disasters that have battered the country with increasing frequency and severity in recent years.
USC experts are available to discuss the impacts of extreme weather on energy infrastructure and the significance of this landmark investment.
Contact: Nina Raffio, raffio@usc.edu or (213) 442-8464; uscnews@usc.edu or (213) 740-2215
Connect with our experts
Joseph Árvai is an expert on how the public, business leaders and policy makers think and make decisions about environmental issues and sustainability; this includes climate change and natural hazards. He is the Dana and David Dornsife professor of psychology, professor of biological sciences, and director of the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Contact: arvai@usc.edu
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Marlon Boarnet is an expert in sustainable transportation, including transitions to zero-emission passenger and freight vehicles. He is familiar with the challenges of power distribution and permitting associated with building EV charging networks. He is a professor of public policy at the USC Price School of Public Policy and directs the METRANS Transportation Consortium.
Contact: boarnet@usc.edu
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Santina Contreras is an expert in environmental planning, natural hazards, and community engagement. Her research focuses on the planning of communities vulnerable to environmental hazards and broader development concerns in the United States and globally. She is an assistant professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Contact: santinac@usc.edu
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Iraj Ershaghi is an expert in low carbon engineering, greenhouse gas emissions monitoring and petroleum engineering. He is the Omar B. Milligan chair in petroleum engineering and professor of chemical engineering and materials science at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
Contact: ershaghi@usc.edu
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Bora Gencturk is an expert extreme event resiliency and sustainable civil infrastructure who teaches courses on structural dynamics, earthquake engineering and structural reliability. Gencturk is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
Contact: gencturk@usc.edu
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Essam Heggy is a research scientist at the Microwave Systems, Sensors and Imaging Lab (MiXIL) at the Viterbi School of Engineering. His research focuses on understanding the structural, hydrological and volcanic elements in terrestrial and planetary environments using different types of radar imaging and sounding techniques.
Contact: heggy@usc.edu
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Shon Hiatt is an expert in global and domestic energy markets. He is an associate professor of business administration at the USC Marshall School of Business.
Contact: shiatt@marshall.usc.edu
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Matthew Kahn is an expert in climate change policy and economics, energy efficiency and urban quality of life. He is a professor of economics at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Contact: kahnme@usc.edu
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Najmedin Meshkati is an expert in civil infrastructure and the safety, reliability and efficiency of complex, large-scale technological systems. He is a professor of civil and environmental engineering, industrial systems engineering, and international relations at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
Contact: meshkati@usc.edu
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Adam Rose is an expert in energy and environmental economics, public policy and natural hazards. He is a research professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy.
Contact: adam.rose@usc.edu
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