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A new research center at CU Boulder is growing the field of green technology

Aerial shot of the University of Colorado Boulder campus.
Nshervsampad
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CC BY-SA 4.0
File photo of the University of Colorado Boulder's main campus taken in Sept. 2015.

Colorado is known as a leader in developing sustainable buildings and energy systems. The Front Range in particular is a growing hub for green technology research.

A new research center at the University of Colorado Boulder aims to take advantage of that existing momentum in the green tech industry and to catalyze new local growth in the field. The Building Energy Smart Technology Center, or BEST Center, is funded by the National Science Foundation. It brings academic researchers together with industry partners to push the field forward.

Moncef Krarti, professor of engineering at CU Boulder and director of the new BEST Center, and Kyri Baker, assistant professor of architectural engineering, joined Colorado Edition to talk about this growing field of research.

I am the Rural and Small Communities Reporter at KUNC. That means my focus is building relationships and telling stories from under-covered pockets of Colorado.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.