During his graduate studies at Boston University, Dr. Nathaniel “Ned” Greene conducted research in experimental cosmic-ray physics. However, several of his current projects at Bloomsburg University are definitely more down to earth.
A professor in physics and engineering technology at Bloomsburg since 1996, Greene has been a leader in the university’s green initiatives. In 2009, he applied for and won a $500,000 state grant to switch the campus’s primary heating fuel from coal to wood, with an industrial wood-chip biomass boiler replacing a 1950s-era coal stoker. This upgrade is allowing Bloomsburg to save money on heating, reduce its carbon emissions and support local businesses that provide the wood chips. In 2011, Greene received a Pennsylvania Waste Watcher Award from the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania for installing a biofuel heating system at the town of Bloomsburg’s recycling center. Cooking oil from the Bloomsburg University dining halls initially powered the system, and it is now sustained by vegetable oil and waste motor oil from local residents and businesses.
Most recently, Greene has collaborated with Bloomsburg associate professor Jeff Brunskill (geography and geosciences
) to install a 3.5-kilowatt solar array on campus, funded by internal grants. A 2011 grant acquired by Greene and Brunskill for $39,900 from Constellation Energy will add educational displays relating to the solar project and campus energy use.
Here are five questions with Bloomsburg professor Ned Greene:
1. Where are you from? Where did you attend college and graduate school?
I am from the Boston area and attended Antioch College in Ohio (B.S.) and Boston University (M.A., Ph.D.).
2. How did you decide to become a professor?
Teaching high school physics in the Peace Corps launched my career in education.
3. How did you end up at Bloomsburg University?
The tenure-track job market was very tight in 1996, and yet Bloomsburg University emerged as a perfect fit for someone with a teaching focus and wide interests within physics.
4. What’s your favorite thing about being a professor at Bloomsburg?
Being in the classroom.
5. Why did you decide to join APSCUF?
While the job description may have brought me to Bloomsburg, the opportunities for professional growth and career advancement have kept me here. APSCUF deserves much of the credit for fostering a positive faculty experience. Let’s hope newer faculty can say the same in 15 years.