Since 2017, the Graham Sustainability Institute's Catalyst Grant program has been funding University of Michigan faculty to research sustainability issues. Between three and seven projects are selected each year and typically include awardees at the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) working with others across campus and communities. 

We checked in with three project teams that were funded in 2023 to learn how their work has progressed since receiving the award. 

Sustainable Airport Operations: A Novel Approach to Reducing Airline Fuel Waste

The aviation industry generates at least 2.5% of global CO2 emissions and 10% of U.S. transportation emissions. With an understanding of the limited efficacy of current strategies to reduce fuel waste and increase airport operation efficiency, a three-person project team wanted to develop a new approach with San Antonio International Airport (SAT) to curb commercial airport emissions. 

Using SAT’s operational data with nearly 1000 departure flights and over 700 arrival flights, the project team, which included SEAS Assistant Professor Parth Vaishnav, developed a machine learning model to predict airport operations and identify areas where traditional services could be adjusted.

For example, after recognizing slowdowns on the taxiway as a potential location for optimization, the team wanted to find ways to reduce taxiway delays while also decreasing environmental impact. 

The largest outcome of this research has been a comprehensive preliminary operation model for the SAT, in addition to understanding the kind of environmental impacts most relevant to mitigate during airport operation optimization procedures. The team is in the process of preparing a proposal with plans to expand this work to other airports, such as the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Vaishnav says, “Reducing taxiing delays can not only cut greenhouse gas emissions, but also reduce noise and local air pollution, while also cutting airlines’ costs. It is a win-win-win.”

Energizing Nepal: Developing a Research Agenda to Guide Sustainability Transitions

Nepal is becoming a leader in the clean energy transition. With more than 75% of new vehicles sold in Nepal being electric, and producing enough hydropower to have a surplus, Nepal is on the right track, yet it also misses opportunities to achieve a fully clean transition, including fossil fuel imports and issues related to the reliability of renewable energy transmission. For these reasons, one project team researched opportunities and challenges associated with Nepal’s clean energy transition to better understand leverage points for catalyzing action towards national goals. 

As part of the project, the research team, which included SEAS Lecturer Rajiv Ghimire and SEAS Professor Pamela Jagger, partnered with a variety of Nepali institutions and organizations, including the Ministry of Forest and Environment, the Institute for Social and Environmental Research, and the Resources Himalaya Foundation, which were all crucial to their efforts.

Ghimire explains that although Nepal has a large clean energy resource (e.g., hydropower), renewable energy only supplies 5-6% of total energy use, and while the electricity is mostly generated from renewable energy sources, Nepal relies heavily on fossil fuels for transportation and household cooking energy, among other uses, so the research team was looking at how more renewable energy can be used for a variety of energy services at all levels. 

Jagger says this project is/has used a critical lens to identify barriers and facilitators to Nepal’s clean energy transition. 

"There is tremendous potential to transition to renewable sources, but political, economic and cultural factors can slow progress towards clean energy goals," she says. Ghimire adds, “Building hydropower has environmental and social costs."

The team analyzed the tradeoffs and co-benefits that come with hydropower development to determine the best way to move forward, both for Nepal and for other countries following suit. They also partnered with the UR Field Lab to conduct two webinars, Powering Nepal: Strengthening Energy Connectivity and Transmission Lines, focusing on sustainable clean energy production, and Fueling the Future: Clean Cooking Solutions for Nepal and Beyond, focusing on cooking energy consumption, specifically shifting households from cooking with firewood and dung to cooking with electricity. 

Ghimire said these webinars led to heightened student interest, with many SEAS students wanting to see similar webinars for other countries embarking on similar clean energy transitions.  

Up next for the project is a review of stakeholder feedback on their work and possible expansion of the work to include further research on the food, energy, and water nexus, and a focus on policy frameworks with the extension of existing partnerships.

Empowering Flint Solar: Exploring a Cooperative Model to Increase Energy Sovereignty

Flint has the most expensive energy bills in the State of Michigan and is in the top five for most expensive in the country. The money spent on energy is becoming increasingly disproportionate to income for many of Flint’s residents. Karl Hoesch (PhD ’25), who is currently an infrastructure associate for Partners for Public Good, was on the project team assessing the opportunity for developing community solar in Flint.

“Knowing the history of the City of Flint, and that there were significant vacant properties that could be ideal spots for community solar, in addition to knowing also that there are significant barriers legislatively to community solar, the project was such a cool fit. It was actively seeking out ways to engage with the community and talk about what they would want,” says Hoesch. 

In the process of connecting with the Flint community, the project team found that faith-based organizations were most interested in becoming partners, so they teamed up with Solar Faithful, which is focused on increasing solar adoption in houses of worship and faith-based nonprofits. Hoesch says that the partnership made sense on many levels, especially since faith-based organizations often need help with offsetting their energy costs. 

With the Catalyst Grant funds, the project team planned community-building opportunities to provide education about community solar and the potential benefits. 

“We brought sandwiches to the senior center so we could explain what community solar is and get their buy-in,” says Hoesch. “To me, that’s what makes community solar community solar. I love the idea that energy infrastructure could bring people together instead of pulling them apart.”

He adds that the bulk of Catalyst Grant resources were dedicated to community partnerships, which helped ensure that survey respondents and participants in meetings and various conversations represented diverse backgrounds of people who would benefit the most from community solar. 

“From the beginning, our faculty team members at U-M Flint and Kettering University were very intentional about working with community organizations such as Flint Rising and Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint, and they received funding for their time, specifically to make sure that they were the leading voices in the process.”