The Unofficial Mascots of NREL’s Colorado and Alaska Campuses

In this episode, our hosts explore the unofficial mascots of NREL’s campuses in Colorado and Alaska. This interactive episode covers: 

• A fun guessing game (listeners are encouraged to join in) connecting clips of animal calls to their sources—the unofficial mascots of each campus. The game highlights how the local wildlife at each campus symbolizes the lab’s key research areas: solar, wind, or sustainable buildings.  
• NREL's efforts to coexist with the wildlife at each campus, respecting them while sharing the land. It’s common for the wildlife to cross paths with both people and research on campus, and part of  NREL’s research is finding ways to ensure animals and their ecosystems are unharmed. 

This episode was hosted by Kerrin Jeromin and Taylor Mankle, written and produced by Allison Montroy and Kaitlyn Stottler, and edited by James Wilcox, Joe DelNero, and Brittany Falch. Graphics are by Brittnee Gayet. Our title music is written and performed by Ted Vaca and episode music by Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift BC. Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast is created by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. We express our gratitude and acknowledge that the land we are on is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute peoples. Email us at podcast@nrel.gov. Follow NREL on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook.

Transcript

[intro music, fades]   

Kerrin: Welcome to Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast, brought to you by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. We’re highlighting the latest in clean energy research and innovations happening at the lab. I’m Kerrin Jeromin.    

 Taylor: And I’m Taylor Mankle.  

Kerrin: Taylor, I have a surprise for you.   

Taylor: Ooh a surprise! I’m already interested four seconds in. 

Kerrin: There’s no money involved, don’t get excited. Alright, so you’re a sports guy. You must know all about team mascots, right?  

Taylor: Sure, I know a couple here and there. 

Kerrin: Well, today, I want to talk about the “unofficial NREL mascots.”    

Taylor: Ooh unofficial mascots! Those are even more fun. Alright, I’m hooked! 

Kerrin: Those are like the one with the really bad head that comes off. 

[laughter] 

Kerrin: Okay, for our listeners, we have four campuses: our South Table Mountain Campus in Golden, Colorado; the Flatirons Campus, which is pretty close by near Boulder, Colorado; the Alaska Campus in Fairbanks; and NREL’s Washington, D.C. office. For the purposes of this episode, we are highlighting NREL sites in Colorado and Alaska. Those who have visited our campuses, or seen photos online, know that none of these sites are in concrete jungles. They neighbor mesas, plains, and forests and are teeming with wildlife.   

Taylor: Oh yeah, during my time on the Golden campus I’ve seen deer, lots of songbirds, and owls up on the fifth floor of the parking garage if you know, and I’ve had plenty of run ins with other creatures up at the Flatirons Campus too. Sometimes it feels like a wild animal park out here!   

Kerrin: Look, a wild researcher! Amazing! And a major component of NREL’s wildlife management plan is to coexist with the wildlife in the area. NREL’s wildlife management team has taken many steps to make the space safe for people and animals.   

Taylor: There are a slew of animal-friendly design features at the Golden, Colorado campus. For instance, the windows in the parking garage, bus shelters, and some of our buildings were retrofitted with patterned film to reduce bird collisions. I know that there’s also ongoing monitoring of the large mammals, like elk, fox, and coyote, to see how they move through the campus both day and night.     

Kerrin: So cool. I’ve never really seen anything big like that, but I just love that our science goes way beyond clean energy here, right? We’re monitoring animals, too! What you mentioned, Taylor, are just a couple of the ways that NREL monitors and protects the animals on campus.   

Taylor: But Kerrin, I was promised more about mascots...  

Kerrin: Oh right, right. Yes, “unofficial mascots.” With so many animals to choose from, it’s hard to pick the most iconic, right? But the Podcast team here has taken a stab at narrowing down the list to select three animals that best represent our three research campuses and some of the key work that takes place at each site. And I’d like to make a game of it, if you’re up for it, Taylor! 

Taylor: Game? You don’t have to ask me twice. Gimme the rules and I’m in!  

Kerrin: Alright, I’m going to play an audio clip of the campus mascot (the unofficial one) and see if you can guess the animal and research area it represents. Are you in?    

Taylor: Let’s do it!   

Kerrin: Okay, very cool. Hey listeners, if you want to play along, you can throw your guesses in the show comments or tag NREL on social media—but no cheating! Because we are going to give away the answers as the show goes on, so just pause it, okay?  

Kerrin: Alright, here’s the first one if you are ready.  

[Sound of rattlesnake shaking its tail] 

Kerrin: Any guesses on that one?  

Taylor: Hmm, I’m hearing a shaking or buzzing noise, like a maraca, maybe. You better believe I know what this one is all too well. You always have to keep an ear open to hear those rattlesnakes!  

Kerrin: Yes, that’s right! So, the rattlesnake is the unofficial mascot for the Golden, Colorado campus. Any guesses on the research area it represents?   

Taylor:  Haha, well, I’m no serpent expert, but I’ve read lots of stories from our communications team on how during the summer months snakes are spotted slithering across sidewalks, hiding out in the tall grass, and sunning on the sidewalk maybe in the afternoon. Hm, that may be a hint right there. Actually, now that I say that, maybe the key is the sun! Is this solar energy?   

Kerrin: Yes, that is absolutely right! Well done, well done. So, as folks might remember from our episode on NREL history, in October 1974 President Gerald Ford established the Energy Research and Development Administration and signed the Solar Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act, which created the Solar Energy Research Institute, known as SERI. In the early years, work on all kinds of renewables happened at SERI, including solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, and a model solar power plant. In that episode, we also learned that in 1991, SERI was renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL, by President George H.W. Bush to accurately reflect the lab’s broad range of work. But even as the lab expanded, solar energy research has always been a major component of our work.   

Taylor: Right, for more than 40 years, NREL has led innovation in solar research, enabling the U.S. solar industry to grow rapidly as solar energy becomes more affordable and accessible than ever.  

Kerrin: Right! And the whole time we’ve been doing solar research, rattlesnakes have been living in our backyard. In fact, apparently during the winter, the snakes hang out and hibernate at an old abandoned natural stone amphitheater—on our Golden campus. Remind me to steer clear of that area…   

Taylor: And during the warm months from May through September, rattlesnakes are spotted on campus in the mornings and evenings but typically seek shade during the heat of the day.   

Kerrin: Since they’re such regulars on NREL’s campus, you have to wonder what happens when a snake is spotted on-site. Thankfully, I’ve never been in that situation.  

Taylor: Yep—you better believe we’ve got an entire plan in place just dedicated to snakes. Staff call our Laboratory Protection office, which works with our wildlife management team, to safely relocate the snake to the top of the small mountain behind the campus, called South Table Mountain, hence the campus’ name.   

Kerrin: This is part of the NREL philosophy of coexisting with the wildlife on campus. When snakes are spotted, they’re removed to keep staff safe. But the creatures are part of our ecosystem, so they’re never harmed. It’s important we respect their space as they respect ours.   

Taylor: Well, I know I’m happy to keep my space next time I see one. So now we know the South Table Mountain mascot, what’s next?   

Kerrin: Alright, let’s try to guess this one.  

[sound of bat squeaking]  

Taylor: That’s an interesting one—that sounds almost like a flock of birds or some group of small animals. Let’s see, we’ve got the Flatirons and Alaska campuses left. Oh, okay, I know what this is! I’ve spent too much time up at Flatirons not to know we’re hearing some bats!   

Kerrin: Right again Taylor! And hopefully, you at home got that one. Y’all are great at this game.    

Taylor: I’ve found my calling Kerrin! And bats are kind of awesome. I bet I can guess the technology area. I’m thinking wind research up at Flatirons.   

Kerrin: Yeah, yeah, this isn’t funny anymore, you’re too good at the game. Can you guess why the bat is the unofficial mascot, though, of the Flatirons Campus?   

Taylor: Since the Flatirons Campus was named the National Wind Technology Center, wind energy has been its premier research area. Situated at the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills, the Flatirons Campus is regularly hit with strong wind, making it a perfect area to validate different wind turbines and types of wind technology.   

Kerrin: That is accurate. And over the years NREL has pioneered many of the components and systems that have taken wind energy technologies to new heights, providing global leadership in fundamental wind energy science research, development, and validation activities. Though wind energy is a reliable form of renewable energy, the massive turbines that generate wind energy can pose a threat to flying animals, including bats.   

Taylor: Environmental researcher Cris Hein [HINE] studies ways to mitigate the negative interactions between flying animals, like bats, and wind turbines. One project focused on ultrasonic deterrents, or sound frequencies that are beyond the upper limit of human hearing. Researchers mounted sound machines on the nacelle, which houses of the gearbox, speed shafts, brakes, and more at the top of the tower of a wind turbine to emit a noise that deters the creatures. Hein also worked with the computational science team to use thermal video cameras to spot when a tiny bat comes close to a wind turbine.    

Kerrin: That is so interesting. And to build onto that, research indicates that bats are actually attracted to wind turbines because they perceive them as a potential roosting location or resource rich area where they can find other bats or hunt insects—making the huge machines even more dangerous to these little mammals. This is significant because bats have slow reproductive rates and only give birth to one pup per year, which I just learned about just now. Because bats provide excellent ecological services, like eating insects, which saves farmers billions per year in pesticide expenses, and in some parts of the world are the only pollinators of rare plants, if bat populations diminish significantly, we’ve got a major problem.   

Taylor: And that’s why NREL is so focused on investing in research that helps bats safely share the skies with wind turbines. Increasing the amount of clean energy in the grid is important, but it is also important to be mindful of the animals and ecosystems impacted by our research.   

Kerrin: That is right. Alright Taylor, we have two mascots down: the rattlesnake for the Golden, Colorado campus and the bat for the Flatirons campus, also in Colorado. Are you ready for the last one?   

Taylor: Ooh, I’m ready. 

Kerrin: Okay . . .  

[sound of moose calling] 

Kerrin: Any guesses on that one?   

Taylor: Yeah, this one is a little tricky. It sounds a little weird, kind of a mix between a bear and a cow. But you know, Alaska’s the only one left, so I think it makes this a little obvious—it’s got to be a moose!    

Kerrin: You’re three for three, good sir! That’s amazing! Any guesses on the research area?   

Taylor: Well, I know the Alaska Campus researches advances in healthy, affordable, sustainable shelter for Alaskans and Circumpolar people. So, I’m going to guess that buildings are the research area.   

Kerrin: Well Taylor’s on a roll. Hopefully at home you got it, as well! It seems like you could do this all day!   

Taylor: Well, this is a fun game, and I am a big fan of mascots. And buildings research is important at the Alaska Campus. Alaska offers some of the most extreme and varied environments on earth, from Arctic tundra to temperate rainforests.  

Kerrin: The demands of the environment, combined with the ingenuity of northern people, has helped make Alaska a leader in energy-efficient design and construction. Researchers at the Alaska Campus work with clients to incorporate energy-efficient design into disaster response housing, military buildings, government offices, hospitals, libraries, businesses, and so many other buildings.   

Taylor: Researchers have a long history of co-developing these technologies with communities. Designs are evaluated in the lab before being deployed to ensure they are energy-efficient, culturally appropriate, and durable in extreme conditions. But back to the moose … how do they equate into this? 

Kerrin: Well, moose might as well be the mascot of Fairbanks as well as the Alaska Campus. Moose are one of the largest land mammals in North America. Fairbanks has one of the densest populations of moose in the state of Alaska. Researchers at the Alaska Campus report seeing moose all the time. They feed alongside the driveway, they walk over research projects (meaning the ones that are buried in the ground, like the thermal storage tank, fortunately) and they meander in the parking lot, which I can only imagine is just a sight to see!   

Taylor: No kidding, but it is important to maintain a healthy respect for moose. Especially when they’re caring for young calves, moose can be extraordinarily protective. According to the National Park Service, moose injure about 59,000 people per year in the U.S. alone.  

Kerrin: Yeah, we have to respect them, and it’s another reminder why respecting the wildlife and sharing the land with them is so very important.   

Taylor: Well, today’s episode has been enlightening! Rattlesnakes, bats, moose, oh my! So many great “unofficial” NREL mascots.   

Kerrin: Yeah, again there’s no cash prize so don’t get excited over here. Maybe a cookie or something. 

[laughter] 

Kerrin: It’s so many connections to our work, really, and that’s the important part, here. It’s always good to remember that the research that takes place at NREL’s campuses impacts all living things in some way. Creating a clean energy future for the world means accounting for all living creatures, both great and small.   

Taylor: Absolutely. Thanks for listening to today’s episode of Transforming Energy: The NREL Podcast. We’ll be back in two weeks with more animal- or non-animal news from the lab.  

[theme music]    

Taylor: This episode was written by Nataleah Small. Our theme music is written and performed by Ted Vaca, and episode music by Chuck Kurnik, Jim Riley, and Mark Sanseverino of Drift B-C. This podcast is produced by NREL’s Communications Office and recorded at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. We express our gratitude and acknowledge that the land we are on is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute peoples. We recognize and pay respect to the Indigenous peoples from our past, present, and future, and are grateful to those who have been and continue to be stewards of this land.