Concentrated solar energy research has been underway for more than three decades, just 45 minutes west of Notre Dame at Valparaiso University (Valpo). Since 2013, this research has been supported by a unique piece of experimental infrastructure: the James S. Markiewicz Solar Energy Research Facility, home to one of only five solar furnaces in the United States and the only solar furnace east of the Mississippi River.
Dr. Luke Venstrom,
Valparaiso University
This presentation introduces this special facility and explores how we combine the undergraduate-focused educational mission of the College of Engineering at Valpo with research at the forefront of concentrated solar energy. Students working in the Solar Energy Research Group engage directly in the design, construction, experimentation, and analysis of high-risk, high-reward technologies aimed at producing chemical commodities, fuels, and electricity from concentrated sunlight. The presentation will trace the furnace from its design and construction through its operation as a research platform for solar thermochemical processes. Furthermore, it will highlight undergraduate students behind the work, touching on what they have accomplished, and how participation in authentic, cutting-edge research has shaped their engineering education and professional trajectories.
Dr. Luke Venstrom is the Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering, the Paul & Cleo Brandt Professor of Engineering, and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Valparaiso University where he co-directs the James S. Markiwiecz Solar Energy Research Facility, home to the only solar furnace at a primarily undergraduate engineering college. He is a graduate of Valparaiso University (B.S.M.E.) and the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities (M.S.M.E., Ph.D.). His research broadly encompasses the thermal fluid sciences, with a focus on renewable energy systems and, in particular, high-temperature solar thermal and electrothermal chemistry. He was the 2019-2020 Valparaiso University Research Professor and the 2021 recipient of the Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work for his integration of undergraduate students into cutting-edge, externally funded concentrated solar energy research.