Robert Dell is a geothermal sculptor, renewable energy expert, and mechanical engineering professor at Cooper Union. Known as the “progenitor of sustainable art” his work incorporates art and engineering, using geothermal energy to power light crystals in his large scale steel and copper sculptures. He was an Artist in Residence at the MacDowell Colony in 1980, a Fulbright Research Fellow in 1988, and a Research Fellow at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT from 1993-1997.

He is the subject of a documentary film, Environmental Alchemy, by Gary Donatelli.

Robert Dell’s papers are housed in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian^[1] and the MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology Archives and Special Collections.

Robert Dell was born in 1950 in Nyack, New York. After receiving a Bachelors in Education from SUNY Oneonta in 1972, Dell attended SUNY New Paltz, where he graduated with an MFA in Sculpture in 1975.

Dell’s geothermal sculptures have an audible hot-water circulation system that emits light and heat in what he calls a “slow, rhythmic ‘turtle-time’ cadence.” As a research fellow at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT,^[2] Dell developed a “geothermal simulator,” a self-contained, hot-water circulation system with adjustable temperature that uses household current, allowing him to display his pieces in locations that do not have naturally occurring geothermal sources.

Using a Peltier system, the electricity that powers the lasers, liquid crystals and LEDs in his sculptures is generated directly from the temperature difference between the geothermal heat source and ambient air. Beneath the sculptures’ welded steel, copper and aluminum exteriors, are copper heat-transfer blocks, thermocouplers, and supporting electronics. Stainless steel and flexible plumbing that channels geothermal water through the sculptures give them what Dell calls “an almost mammalian circulation system using geothermal energy as its lifeblood.”^[3]

Dell's pieces were met with varied response. While D. Dominick Lombari called his work with geothermal simulators "brilliant" despite the pieces being exhibited indoors at the Blue Hill Cultural center which he likened to "riding a bicycle indoors."^[4] His work displayed the same year at the Firehouse Gallery was called "quite unusual, possibly unprecedented" describes the same simulators as "glorified radiators" that "intrude detrimentally" in his sculptures.^[5]

Robert Dell’s sculptures have been installed in the geothermal fields at Yellowstone National Park’s Grotto, Castle and Old Faithful Geyser Groups in 1996,^[6] and at the Great Geysir in Iceland in 1999.^[7] His work Thermal Wight is on permanent display at the Perlan in Rejkavik, Iceland.

Dell's work has been shown widely at galleries and museums around the world including in Iceland, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City.

• The Lab Gallery, The Roger Smith Hotel, NYC 2006
• Hafnarborg Institute of Culture and Fine Art, Hafnarborg Museum, Hrafnarfurdor, Iceland, 2002
• Reykjavik Municipal Art Museum, Harbour House, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2001
• Blue Hill Cultural Center, 1999
• The Great Geysir, Iceland, 1999
• Akureyri Art Museum, Akureyri, Iceland, 1999
• Firehouse Gallery, Nassau Community College, 1999
• MIT, Kresge Oval, Cambridge, Ma, 1997
• Yellowstone National Park, Grotto, Castle and Old Faithful Geyser Groups, Wy, 1996
• Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, 1995
• Tufts University, Medford, Ma, 1995
• MIT, CAVS and the MIT Museum, Cambridge, Ma, 1994
• Galleri Ofeigur, Reykjavik, Iceland, 1993 – 94
• Lehigh University, Siegel Gallery, Bethlehem, Pa, 1991 – 92
• MIT Museum, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 1990-91
• American Cultural Center, Reykjavik, Iceland, 1988
• Seraphim Gallery, Englewood, NJ, 1988
• Blue Hill Cultural Center, Pearl River, NY, 1987
• SUNY, New Paltz, NY, 1987
• Vorpal Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 1985
• Thronja Gallery, Spring field,  MA,   1984-89
• Thorpe Intermedia Gallery, Sparkill, NY, 1984, 1985
• 14 Sculptors' Gallery, New York City, NY, 1984
• Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY, 1983
• New Acquisitions Gallery, Syracuse, NY, 1982-87
• A.B. Condon Gallery, New York City,  NY,  1982
• Palisades Interstate Park Commission, NY, 1982
• Lincoln  Center, New York City, NY, 1982
• Vorpal Gallery, New York City, NY, 1981, 1988
• Maryland Arts Institute, Baltimore,  MD,  1980
• Vorpal Gallery, Chicago, IL, 1979
• Vorpal  Gallery, San  Francisco,  CA, 1978-89
• Vorpal Gallery, Chicago, IL, 1978-83
• T.H.E.M., Haverstraw, NY, 1978
• Rockland Center for the Arts, West Nyack, NY, 1978
• Vorpal Gallery, New York City,  NY,  1977-89
• Dominican College, Blauvelt, NY, 1977
• Clarksville Gallery, Nyack, NY, 1976
• SUNY, Oneonta, 1976
• SUNY, Stony Brook, NY, 1975

Fellowships & Awards

• The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, School of Engineering, NYC, NY, 2003-5, Artist in Residence
• New York Foundation for the Arts, Special Opportunity Grantee, NYC, 2000 - 01
• American-Scandinavian Foundation, NYC, NY, 1999, Fellow to Iceland
• Council for the Arts at M.I.T., Cambridge, Ma, Grantee 1997
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Ma, 1995-7, Research Affiliate
• Waterloo Foundation for the Arts, Stanhope, NJ, Grantee 1994
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture, Center for Advanced Visual Studies, Cambridge, Ma, 1993-5, Research Fellow
• Fulbright Senior Research Fellow to Iceland, CIES, Washington, D.C. 1988
• Artist Fellowship, NYC, Grantee, 1983
• Change Inc., NYC, Grantee, 1983
• The MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, NH, 1980, Fellow
• Collaboration Art, Science and Technology, Syracuse, NY, Grantee, 1978

Scenic artist

Dell moved to new York city to where he continued to create art and worked as a scenic artist on television series and films including Grace Quigley (1984), One Life to Live (1990-1992), Made (2001), and Swimfan (2002), as well as for the Metropolitan Opera and Broadway plays.^[8][9][10]

Engineering

Robert Dell was the Founding Director of the Laboratory for Energy Reclamation and Innovation at the Cooper Union, where he is also Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering. His most recent appointment at Cooper Union is as Director of the Special Project on Select Patent Monetization. Dell also worked as Cooper Union’s Director of the Center for Innovation and Applied Technology, and as the Research Fellow for the C.V. Starr Research Foundation.^[11] Other recent appointments include Guest Lecturer with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, and Advisory Board Member with Borealis GeoPower Inc. in Canada and Visiting Scientist with Iceland’s Keilir Institute of Technology.^[12]

Dell is the First Inventor on eleven patents through his work at the Cooper Union. He is the First Author of numerous research papers for venues including the International Conference of Experimental Mechanics, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), The Geothermal Resources Council, The Geo-Heat Center at the Oregon Institute of Technology, and the Cooper Union Research Foundation. He is an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Geothermal Resources Council, the American Welding Society (AWS), the Order of The Engineer, and the Municipal Planning Federation of Rockland County.

• First Inventor, Bimetallic Leaf Spring and Clamping Device, owned by The Cooper Union, (with Stan Wei and Tae Young Lee) European Patent . EP 2 148 991 B1 Registered in France, Germany and England
• United States Patent. US 8,418,342 R2 Bimetallic Leaf Spring and Clamping Device, 2013
• Canadian Patent CA 2685530 C 2015/02/24 Bimetallic Leaf Spring and Clamping Device, 2015
• Canadian Patent CA 2685530 C 2015/02/24 Bimetallic Leaf Spring and Clamping Device, 2015
• First Inventor, Thermoelectric Power Generation Device, owned by The Cooper Union, (with Stan Wei and George Sidebotham) European Patent . EP 2 095 440 B1 Registered in France, Germany and England
• United States Patent and Trademark Office, US 8,829,326 B2, Thermoelectric Power Generation Device, 2016 United States Patent and Trademark Office Notice
• United States Patent and Trademark Office, US 9,590,160 Thermoelectric Power Generation Device, 2017
• Canadian Patent CA 2671995 C 2015/02/24 Thermoelectric Power Generation Device, 2015
  

• National Autonomous University of Mexico, Engineering Institute, Mexico City, Mexico, Guest Lecturer, 2017
• Borealis GeoPower Inc. GeoPark project, Calgary, Canada, Advisory Board, 2017
• United States Department of Energy, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase 0 Assistance Program, Technical Consultant, 2015- 6
• City of Hveragerdi, Iceland, Consultant, 2014 - 7
• New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), PON 2244, 2012
• Metering Requirements, Equipment, Software and Protocol for Quantifying Elevator Regenerative Potential, Project Research Scientist, 2012-2015
• Center for Innovation and Applied Technology, Cooper Union, Founding Director 2012 –
• Keilir Institute of Technology, Reykjanesbaer, Iceland, Visiting Scientist, 2010 – 2019
• Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, Visiting Academic, 2009 – 12
• C.V. Starr Research Foundation, Cooper Union, Research Fellow, 2008 –
• Albert Nerken School Of Engineering, Cooper Union, Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering, 2003 –
• Metropolitan Building Consulting Group, Director of Research and Development, 2007 –       

Selected Peer Reviewed Papers

• ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), IMECE (International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition), Design of a Clamp for a Thermoelectric Generator Using Bimetallic Thermal Properties, Robert Dell, C.S. Wei, Nicholas Mitchell, Runar Unnthorsson, IMECE2016-68179, 2016.^[14]
• ASME IMECE, Design and Construction of a Heated Garden System Utilizing Steam Condensate from an On-Site Boiler, Robert Dell, C.S Wei, Raj Parikh, Runar Unnthorsson, Nicholas Mitchell, William Foley IMECE2016-68180, 2016.^[15]
• GRC (Geothermal Resources Council) GRC Annual Meeting, A Thermoelectric Powered Quadruped Robotic System for Remote Monitoring of Geothermal Open Field Heated Gardens in Iceland, Robert Dell, C.S Wei, Runar Unnthorsson, Nicholas Mitchell, 2016.
• GRC Annual Meeting, Thermally Enhanced Open Field Heating Agricultural System Using Waste Geothermal Hot Water and low Temperature Steam in Iceland and Waste Source, Robert Dell, C.S. Wei, Runar Unnthorsson, William Foley, Mitchell Cady, Malcolm Dell, Michael Isakov and, Alex Livermore, Portland Oregon, 2014.
• ASME IMECE 2013 Repurposing Waste Steam and Hot Water to Accelerate Plant Growth in Heated Green Roofs, R Dell, C.S. Wei, R. Unnthorsson, W. Foley, IMECE2013-65200, ASME 2013 International Congress, San Diego. Ca.^[16]
• ASME IMECE 2013, Developing a Methodology for Measuring the Comparative Energy Efficiency of Elevators J. Bos, R. Dell, C.S. Wei, W. Foley, IMECE2013-66663, ASME 2013 International Congress, San Diego. Ca.^[17]
• Geo-Heat Center Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 31, No. 4, A Thermoelectric-Based Point of Use Power Generator for Steam Pipes, R. Dell, C. Wei, G. Sidebotham, M. Jonsson, R. Unnthorsson, R. Dell, R. Unnthorsson, C.S. Wei, Geo-Heat Center Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, Oregon, 2013.
• ASME 2013 Power Conference, Waste Geothermal Hot Water for Enhanced Outdoor Agricultural Production, R. Dell, R. Unnthorsson, C.S. Wei, Power 98172.
• ASME IMECE 2012 Thermoelectric-Based Power Generator for Powering Microcontroller Based Security Camera, R. Dell, R. Unnthorsson, C. Wei, G. Sidebotham, M. Jonsson, W. Foley, E. Ginsburg, S. Paul, S. Kim, A. Morris, ASME 89611.
• Geo-Heat Center Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 30, No. 3, Geothermal Heat in Agriculture: Preliminary Results of an Energy Intensive System in Iceland, R. Dell, C Wei, G. Sidebotham, V. Guido, J. Cataldo, R. Unnthorsson, M. Jonsson, T. Thordarson, K. Smolar, A. Bronfman, Geo-Heat Center Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, Oregon, 2011.
• Geothermal Resources Council, A Thermoelectric-Based Point of Use Power Generator for Steam Pipes, R. Dell, C. Wei, G. Sidebotham, M. Jonsson, R. Unnthorsson, Geothermal Resources Council Transactions Volume 35, Davis, California, 2011.
• Geothermal Resources Council, Geothermal Heat in Agriculture: Preliminary Results of an Energy Intensive System in Iceland, R. Dell, C. Wei, G. Sidebotham, V. Guido, J. Cataldo, R. Unnthorsson, M. Jonsson, T. Thordarson, K. Smolar, A. Bronfman, Geothermal Resources Council Transactions, Volume 35, Davis, California, 2011.
• Consolidated Edison, Develop and Cultivate a Garden Utilizing Heat from Steam to Maintain the Soil and Vegetation, R. Dell, C. Wei, G. Sidebotham, V. Guido, 2009.
• Cooper Union Assessment of the Maurice Kanbar US Patent 5850126 Screw-In LED Lamp, R. Dell, C. Wei, 2009.
• Consolidated Edison Proof of Concept Thermoelectric Module (TEM) Prototype Field Tested in a Steam Manhole, R. Dell, C. Wei, G. Sidebotham, 2009.
• Charles A. and Ann Morrow Lindbergh Foundation, Harvesting and Re-circulating Surplus Heat to Warm the Soil of Small Urban Gardens in New York to Accelerate Plant Growth and Extend the Growing Season, R. Dell, 2008.
• Consolidated Edison, Development of Five Prototype Thermoelectric Modules for Steam Vortex Flowmeters, R. Dell, C. Wei, G. Sidebotham, New York, 2007
• Consolidated Edison, Thermoelectric Power Generation from Exposed Steam Pipes, Phase II-Technical Report, R. Dell, C. Wei, G. Sidebotham, 2007
• Consolidated Edison, Thermoelectric Power Generation from Exposed Steam Pipes, R. Dell, C. Wei, G. Sidebotham 2005