Arizona

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) sits atop Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) in Arizona, with 5,000 fiber-optic “eyes” monitoring the night sky to build the largest 3D map of our universe to date. New results from DESI hint that dark energy, widely thought to be a “cosmological constant,” might be evolving over time in unexpected ways. More than 900 researchers from around the globe collaborate on DESI, making dozens of visits to Kitt Peak each year for observation and hands-on training. The KPNO visitor center acts as a vital education hub, and has hosted over two million visitors since its establishment.

The Berkeley Lab-led National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) supports projects across Arizona to address ongoing water supply challenges. At Arizona State University, NAWI funds research into technology to recycle contaminated industrial wastewater for the state’s semiconductor manufacturing and new methods to remove PFAS from municipal water supplies. A separate project in Yuma is exploring novel technology to remove specific minerals from brackish water sources prior to reverse osmosis. This prevents membrane fouling and could significantly increase water recovery rates. The project is in partnership with Jacobs Engineering (project lead), New Mexico State University, DuPont, and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.