In late January, Jonathan Steirer joined the Solar Durability and Lifetime Extension Center as the operations manager.

Prior to coming to CWRU, Steirer was a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer with NETSCo, a Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering firm based in Cleveland and Tampa. Steirer’s specialties were navigable rivers and inland waterways, most often the Mississippi River.  He also worked on environmental compliance projects, ranging from dredging jobs to diagnosing and repairings failures in a seawall with geotechnical engineers. He also spent time doing vessel surveys, shipyard visits, and inclinings, the determining of a vessel's stability by shifting around large weights onboard the vessel and measuring hanging pendulum movement.

”Starting a new job during a pandemic is an odd situation, but everyone has been extremely welcoming and responsive,” said Steirer.  One of the parts of his role he is most excited about is the business development side.  “I enjoy convening people and building relationships, and translating that into supporting the SDLE Research Center and the larger GLEI mission will be very rewarding work.”  He was drawn to the SDLE position because of the opportunity to support critical work in renewable energy as well.

A graduate of Maine Maritime Academy, Steirer’s interest in ships and materials started in elementary school, when he learned about the Titanic.  In fifth grade, he learned about naval architecture, launching his career.  In 2015, he presented some of his research at the Worldwide Maritime Technology Conference.

To this day, Steirer remains interested in naval architecture, but has also developed interests in climate action and the intersection of science and community.  He was on the team that organized the first annual NEO Youth Climate Future Forum and is currently on a team that is building a Youth Climate Action Project Fund.  “I would say the work of which I'm most proud is less in the context of me as a scientist and more of me as a person who cares about science,” he said.  “(My climate action work) ultimately requires stakeholder buy-in, and one of the biggest challenges can be getting people motivated about things that feel more existential, like climate change. Even in a city where leadership has officially designated racism a public health crisis, actually inducing material changes that fight environmental racism can be fighting an uphill battle. The work I've supported on my various climate action projects really feels like we've started to make inroads with local youth and if we can continue giving them more prominent platforms, I will absolutely consider that one of my biggest accomplishments.”

Steirer looks forward to being able to take the train or bike to work at CWRU.  Some of his passions include community development, public transit and cities.