Three CITRIS-affiliated investigators are building community resilience to wildfires by helping residents think through challenging scenarios.
Climate
As heard on NPR: Lessons from EcoBlock
As the five-year pilot comes to a close, principal investigator Therese Peffer predicts lower costs for future projects.
2025 Art Rosenfeld Award recipient advances energy efficiency
Aoyu Zou, winner of the 2025 Art Rosenfeld Award, will use the funds to improve energy sustainability in the built environment.
Crystal Kolden
Associate Professor of Fire Science, UC Merced
Learning by doing: UC students take on CITRIS Workforce Innovation internships
High-performing students from four UC campuses will spend eight weeks gaining hands-on, real-world experience in high-demand tech fields this summer.
CITRIS leaders speak about responsible, sustainable tech
Camille Crittenden and Michele Barbato discuss ways in which AI can support sustainability solutions.
Sarah Kurtz
Professor of Electrical Engineering, UC Merced
Ayush Pandey
Assistant Teaching Professor of Electrical Engineering, UC Merced
Foundry alum raises $24M in series A2 round
Coreshell seeks to power the EV industry with a silicon-based alternative to graphite anodes.
EcoBlock makes strides to decarbonize an Oakland neighborhood
The team adds a stormwater bioretention facility to their growing list of project accomplishments.
CITRIS PI examines wildfires’ impact on kelp forests
UC Merced’s Erin Hestir leads the NASA-funded KelpFire project.
Finding a green storage solution in retired batteries
CITRIS Foundry alum RePurpose Energy puts half-used EV batteries to work storing energy from renewable sources.
CITRIS researchers combat methane emissions with drones
The project aims to improve the speed and accuracy of measuring methane to support government and industry mitigation efforts.
Call for proposals: CITRIS Seed Funding offers PIs up to $60K for multicampus research
Researchers from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz are invited to apply.
NASA biodiversity project shows power of remote sensing
CITRIS at UC Merced campus Director Erin Hestir was co-lead of the agency’s first-ever biodiversity campaign.
CITRIS supports AgTech Alliance at UC Santa Cruz
The Alliance will support research, education and events to advance agricultural technology for a more sustainable future.
CITRIS Climate director discusses rebuilding after wildfire
Michele Barbato advocates using noncombustible construction materials to rebuild in the wake of the destructive Los Angeles wildfires.
Batteries, buildings and beyond: Scott Moura combats climate change at scale
The CITRIS and the Banatao Institute researcher and UC Berkeley civil and environmental engineer uses modeling and ML to develop energy-efficient infrastructure.
CITRIS PIs to lead new solar power research center
UC Berkeley’s Tarek Zohdi and Francesco Borrelli will direct the CAL-NEXT Center for Solar Energy Research.
CITRIS-seeded project helps Bay Area prepare for major wildfires
Since 2022, a team of researchers affiliated with CITRIS and the Banatao Institute has been creating highly detailed models of emergency response infrastructure in two Bay Area communities.
UC Santa Cruz researchers turn coastline fog into water
CITRIS and the Banatao Institute researchers Peter Weiss and Jennifer Parker are investigating fog as a resource to reinforce the water supply in the Bay Area.
Bayen and Handy receive honorary degrees
The honorees explore autonomous vehicles and shifting societal attitudes towards driving to enable more sustainable transportation systems.
CITRIS publishes 2024 annual report
As we celebrate the past year, we renew our commitment to serve as a catalyst and convener for the UC community.
Eunice Chung
Research Analyst, California Institute for Energy and Environment and CITRIS Climate