Cornelius Murphy
President
SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry
After a 30-year career with a nationally known engineering firm, Cornelius B. "Neil" Murphy, Jr. has assumed the presidency of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). Murphy was president and director of O'Brien & Gere Limited. The Syracuse-based company is a design, engineering, and consulting firm that specializes in environmental remediation.
At O'Brien & Gere, Murphy headed a corporation that employs more than 1,000 people in 29 locations worldwide. At ESF, he is leads a staff of 425 on a campus where approximately 1,800 students are enrolled in degree programs ranging from the associate's degree in applied science to the doctor of philosophy. Dr. Murphy has a keen perspective on tomorrow's leaders and the innovation of new renewable energy and climate change projects.
Recently the first step toward trying to develop a fuel cell powered by wood has been taken by the State University College of ESF in Syracuse. The college will pay $1.35 million to install a 250-kilowatt fuel cell on campus. The energy-efficient fuel cell should be in place and operating by the end of the year. Initially, the fuel cell will run on natural gas, using a chemical reaction to strip out the hydrogen, combine it with oxygen, and produce electricity. The fuel cell will make about 8 percent of the electricity used on campus.