Argonne in Chicago hosted a Partner Forum aimed at increasing awareness of the lab’s initiatives and building enthusiasm among potential partners about possible collaborations and funding opportunities.

More than 65 attendees from community organizations, industry and educational institutions attended the event at Argonne’s Harper Court location in Hyde Park, Chicago. The agenda included opening remarks from Argonne’s Lab Director, Dr. Paul Kearns and presentations by several Argonne researchers whose climate science and modeling engages communities and regional stakeholders around issues of climate change, and infrastructure risks and resilience. Also highlighted was some of the lab’s community-engaged research including the STEM Asset Mapping Project ​‚and Argonne’s Community Research on Climate and Urban Science (CROCUS).

The event concluded with a robust panel discussion that focused on challenges and opportunities to broaden the region’s innovation enterprise. Argonne’s Associate Lab Director, Megan Clifford moderated the discussion with the panelists that included Abin Kuriakose, Executive Vice President of Innovation & Venture Strategy, World Business Chicago; Julia Lane, Assistant Vice President for Science, University of Chicago; Kyle Pfeiffer, Director of the Center for Climate Resilience & Decision Science, Argonne; and Paula Robinson, Managing Member of Bronzeville Partners, LLC.