How Duke is leading research on critical minerals

Durham, NC – North Carolina plays a vital role in the country’s transition to sustainable energy. Lithium, for example, is crucial for manufacturing batteries that power electric vehicles and store energy generated by wind turbines, and North Carolina is one of only a few states with substantial deposits. It’s so important that the U.S. government has placed lithium on a list of critical minerals that are essential for the country’s economic and national security.

“North Carolina is becoming known as the Battery Belt,” said Sharlini Sankaran, director of external partnerships in Duke’s Office for External Partnerships. “There are so many battery manufacturing and advanced manufacturing companies relocating or expanding to North Carolina.”

“The idea for a symposium came out of an initial roundtable conversation with the DOD [Department of Defense] partners, and they also invited along partners at the USGS [U.S. Geological Survey] who are interested in this,” Sankaran said. “We were anticipating a small meeting of the minds, but it turned into an opportunity for Duke to be a leader in convening and connecting.”

Following the symposium, a planning session helped Duke and its partners identify concrete areas to pursue, including capstone projects, student internships and data sharing.

“There were even new partnerships that were born out of that,” Sankaran said. “I’m continuing to build external partnerships for the group and see where there are opportunities to collaborate.”

Read the full article:

https://interdisciplinary.duke.edu/news/securing-nations-energy-supply-north-carolina-critical/

For more information on OEP and upcoming initiatives, visit the OEP website: https://externalpartnerships.duke.edu/

Follow Duke OEP on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/duke-s-office-for-external-partnerships/

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