UC awarded $3M to research carbon emissions in Cincinnati

The city of Cincinnati has a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Webb's research encompasses several methods and projects that center on bringing the city closer to its goal. 

From the NSF, Webb received the prestigious CAREER Award, a five-year grant that encompasses both research and educational components. Webb and her team will analyze residential buildings in the Cincinnati area and the impact that retrofitting technologies would have on their energy usage. Also with this grant, Webb and another faculty member at UC, Katherine Castiello Jones, are creating two decarbonization-related games that once developed, will be distributed into local K-12 schools. 

With the NSF Strengthening American Infrastructure award, Webb and her collaborators are building the Human-centered Open Energy Modeling for Equitable Decarbonization (HOME) platform. 

"We have this big survey which we are using to get people's perspectives, knowledge, values and behaviors related to decarbonization so we can understand the needs and the barriers," Webb told the Courier.

A multiphase project, Webb is working with other researchers at UC, as well as several external partners. 

Finally, through the DoE Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation award, Webb and partners throughout the state (Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland) are using Building Performance Standards in a completely new way. These standards place limitations on energy use of existing buildings. Webb is aiming to tailor these standards to meet the needs of Ohio cities. 

Webb places a deep importance on the locality of her work, wanting to make an impact in her own community. Through these projects, she is contributing to giving the city of Cincinnati a better future. 

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Featured image at top: Sunrise over the University of Cincinnati. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC