University of Oregon President Michael Gottfredson joined U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Director Anthony Cugini, OSU President Ed Ray and OIT President Chris Maples at the NETL campus in Albany. They discussed the overlapping mission areas between and among Oregon institutions of higher education and the National Energy Technology Laboratory, and described for Wyden the current collaborative efforts between the institutions. The meeting came after Wyden, Oregon’s senior senator, assumed the chairmanship of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resource in January.

The meeting also included Kimberly Espy, the UO vice president of research and innovation and dean of the graduate school, OSU Association Vice President for Research Rich Holdren, NETL Research Director Cynthia Powell, Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Director Skip Rung, and David Kenney, director of Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center.