The Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources (CISTAR) 2023-2024 Update
The Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources (CISTAR), headquartered at Purdue University, stands as a flagship Engineering Research Center (ERC) funded by the National Science Foundation. Established in 2017, CISTAR is now in its seventh year of operation and is the only ERC currently led by Purdue. Partner Universities include the University of New Mexico, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame and the University of Texas at Austin.
The center’s vision is to "convert light hydrocarbons into lower carbon footprint chemicals and transportation fuels, by exploring decarbonization of manufacturing processes, modular design, and electrification based on renewable energy sources." CISTAR's mission extends beyond research; the center brings together industry, academia, and government to cultivate engineering discovery and education in research areas critical to our nation's strength. The CISTAR infrastructure integrates four pillars: research, engineering workforce development, industry and innovation, and diversity & culture of inclusion, with industry partners being paramount to center success.
Center Highlights:
- Patents: CISTAR has submitted 25 patent applications across the five partner universities. Of the total, Purdue researchers have filed 14 and 5 are granted patents.
- Research and Development: CISTAR’s research is organized into Thrust areas which include catalysis, separations, life-cycle analysis, environmental impact, and systems-level decarbonization. These R&D efforts combine into systems focused on the conversion of natural gas to aromatics, processes that require ethylene en route to the desired products, and chemicals and fuels derived from propylene intermediates. Leading technology highlights include: (i) process designs for alternative light olefin production via electric cracking reactors, (ii) separations systems for selective H2- and C2H2-tolerant olefin-paraffin separation membranes and fabrication of iptycene-based microporous polymers for gas separations, and (iii) catalysis systems for methane dehydroaromatization, selective and tunable olefin oligomerization, conversion of ethane and propane to aromatics and gasoline, as well as oligomerization of olefins to diesel or jet fuel.
- Degrees Granted: Over the life of the center, CISTAR has granted 15 Master’s degrees, 40 Bachelor’s degrees, and 56 Doctoral degrees. Post-graduation, 44% of all CISTAR graduates to date have been hired by companies in industry and nearly half of these hires are by CISTAR industry consortium companies.
- Publications: CISTAR researchers have 270 publications in trade and peer-reviewed technical journals, 7,518 citations, and an h-index of 43 to date.
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K-12 Outreach and Recruiting: CISTAR faculty and staff have built partnerships within their local communities and across the nation with K-12 partner schools, programs and outreach efforts. Incorporating virtual outreach in conjunction with in-person activities has helped to extend CISTAR’s efforts to even more pre-college students and teachers. Over the lifetime of the center, CISTAR has impacted 54,190 K-12 students and teachers with outreach events. - Industrial Membership: With over 30 industry companies joining the center, CISTAR has a very robust program offering privileged access to a wide array of opportunities. This encompasses knowhow, research, intellectual property, mentoring, advising, internships, recruitment and technology development.
- Innovation Ecosystem: ERC’s are encouraged to include a broader exposure to innovation in the context of technology development. CISTAR’s Innovation Academy offers a certificate in innovation from a semester-long course focused on the Business Model Canvas as a tool for guiding ideas toward the market.
- International Collaborations: With an additional NSF Center-to-Center (C2C) Award, CISTAR has partnered with international organizations in Brazil to develop cutting-edge solutions to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of energy technologies. The Brazilian research centers include the Center for Innovation on New Energies (CINE) and the Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Innovation (RCGI). The three centers are working towards their common goal to create efficient, low-carbon energy solutions in key research areas like electrochemical conversion of methane, development of in-operando synchrotron characterization tools, and computational materials science to develop innovative solutions. Researchers and students from the three centers have visited each other’s institutions and facilities over the last year. Faculty and students have been able to grow their intercultural skills through shared educational opportunities such as brown bag seminars, webinars, and workshops. The summer graduate certificate program, Growing Intercultural Global Energy Leaders (GIGEL), was created by CISTAR’s Diversity and Culture of Inclusion Director, Dr. Denise Driscoll, in collaboration with a Senior Intercultural Learning Specialist at Purdue, Dr. Dan Jones, to address the diversity and culture of inclusion goals outlined in the C2C grant.
CISTAR team members from the five partner universities gathered at Purdue University in April 2023 for the center's Year 6 Annual Meeting.
Engineering Workforce Development and Diversity and Culture of Inclusion Highlight:
CISTAR and NSBE’s Research Experience and Mentoring Program
Together the two organizations are working towards developing an inclusive next generation of leaders in STEM.
The National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources, CISTAR, in partnership with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), has offered a Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) Program since 2019 as part of their Engineering Workforce Development and Diversity and Culture of Inclusion programs. This unique summer program allows undergraduate students to engage in cutting-edge energy research under the guidance of mentors in CISTAR labs at Purdue University for the first six weeks, then transition to being a mentor for third to fifth graders at a NSBE Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK) camp for the final four weeks.
Maeve Drummond Oakes, CISTAR’s Engineering Workforce Development Director, explains, “This collaboration empowers students to acquire hands-on lab experience and enhance their professional skills, all while learning more about the spectrum of energy sources and understanding their pivotal role in mitigating the global carbon footprint.”
In 2021, CISTAR introduced an Industry Energy Program to enhance the summer experience. This program involves students interacting with speakers from leading companies like BP, Dow, ExxonMobil, Honeywell, Origin Materials, Sabic, and Shell. These professionals share insights from their industry experience and discuss their companies' approaches to the energy transition. The last two years, students visited different types of energy sites, such as a refinery, a nuclear reactor, an experimental solar field, and a wind farm.
Dr. Denise Driscoll, CISTAR's Diversity and Culture of Inclusion Director, notes, “Industry mentors offer invaluable guidance and real-world perspectives that are typically not learned in classroom or lab settings. Many students enter the program unsure about their future steps, whether it's pursuing graduate studies or seeking a full-time position at a company. For the REM students to see these energy sites firsthand and have the opportunity to ask questions and receive advice from experienced industry professionals–many from companies that are part of our industry membership program–is incredibly beneficial.”
At summer’s end, REM students often report transformative experiences. After CISTAR, they feel more confident in their abilities and excited about research. A significant majority envision themselves contributing to the energy industry, motivated by the desire to address the pressing energy challenges of our time. After NSBE SEEK, the REM students report having enjoyed being mentors to kids. They feel that they have inspired the NSBE SEEK kids, who are from predominantly Black or African American backgrounds, to think about themselves as future engineers or scientists. The 2023 cohort of students shares their REM summer experience in their own words in this video.
Currently, the REM program is seeking financial support to offer this opportunity to more students each summer and grow the Industry Energy Program with interested companies. This two-fold expansion presents a unique opportunity for industry partners and private donors to help develop a diverse and dynamic talent pool. For those interested in partnering with CISTAR and NSBE SEEK’s REM program, please e-mail cistar@purdue.edu for more information.