Before we can start tackling the nation’s pressing energy challenges, we first have to discuss what those challenges are and put together a strategy to address them. In the month of October, Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) Director Mark Johnson participated in two events that aimed to answer the question, “How can communities and the government work together to find solutions to challenges?” At both of these events, Dr. Johnson joined members of academia, local communities, and the government to focus on specific areas in which communities and the government can work together. Events like these provide a forum to discuss where barriers exist and how stakeholders can work together and leverage their individual strengths to overcome them.

On Thursday, October 13, Dr. Johnson spoke at the 2016 Climate Change Symposium: Water-Energy-Climate Nexus at Northwestern University. The focus of his presentation was manufacturing and materials for clean water production. He stressed that a water problem is an energy problem. For example, manufacturers use water from the public supply as a manufacturing ingredient and for other applications such as cooling. They also require energy to treat water before it is returned back to the municipal supply. For many manufacturers, their location plays a major role in their water treatment requirements; manufactures on the coasts might have more access to seawater which requires desalination, while manufacturers in the heartland have readily available sources of brackish water. Each region’s water source is a unique opportunity to innovate and work with the local utility provider to make sure the available resources meet quality requirements for manufacturing processes and in turn, that the water that manufacturers return to the municipality meets environmental standards. During his presentation, Dr. Johnson detailed AMO’s support of current water projects including an advanced, energy-efficient hybrid membrane system for industrial water reuse, novel membranes and systems for industrial and municipal water purification and reuse, and a unit operation to remove hydrophobic contaminants. These projects are making tremendous progress in the way we use, purify, treat, and transport water in manufacturing.

On Wednesday, October 19, Dr. Johnson participated in the 2016 National Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) Summit in Washington, DC. He joined a panel discussion with Jason Miller, deputy director of the National Economic Council, and Jay Williams, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, and others. Following a town hall format, representatives of various communities posed questions about best practices to support job creation and accelerate manufacturing growth in their communities. IMCP encourages regional collaboration to support American manufacturing. AMO plays a role in this place-based innovation through its support of Manufacturing USA institutes, which focus on high-impact projects to maximize the return on government and private-sector investments. These institutes take advantage of and expand upon regional manufacturing strengths, such as the emerging composites corridor in the Knoxville area that serves as the home for The Composites Institute.

These events advanced the dialogue around community and government roles in driving American manufacturing competitiveness. By recognizing unique regional capabilities and innovation opportunities, we can work together to address energy challenges and accelerate the growth of manufacturing.