TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — At the Leaders Summit on Climate hosted by President Joe Biden on Friday, RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson announced the launch of the new Rensselaer Institute for Energy, the Built Environment, and Smart Systems (EBESS).

The New York City-based Institute, created with Siemens, Lutron Electronics, Brooklyn Law School, Thornton Tomasetti, HKS, OBMI, and Perkins&Will, says they will use the most advanced digital technologies to lower the carbonization of organic matters in places like cities.

“Universities are the crossroads for collaboration across disciplines, sectors, geographies, and generations,” President Jackson said. “An integrative approach is required to decarbonize the many interconnected systems of our daily lives.”

EBESS will demonstrate integrated transportation, communications, and supply chain networks. It will connect architectural design with engineering to create infrastructure that is both net-zero in energy use and climate resilient. It will also use new materials, renewable energy systems, and sentient building platforms to maximize human health and well-being.

As the only university leader to speak at the Summit, President Jackson emphasized the important role higher education will play in global efforts to address the climate crisis.

“Universities, such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, are crucial in developing and incubating new technologies required for a net-zero world,” she said.

President Biden invited more than 40 world leaders to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate held on April 22-23. The summit underscored the importance and economic benefits of stronger climate action.