Grid security in the face of numerous natural and manmade threats, especially for communities that could be forgotten in the event of a widespread emergency, means thinking outside the box — or, in the case of a project at Idaho National Laboratory, within the box. INL’s new Microgrid in a Box uses hydropower with advanced controls and a mobile microgrid to empower small communities that need to maintain critical services during blackout emergencies. INL’s Energy Systems Group, led by Thomas Mosier, is helping answer these questions of how communities with limited resources can stay connected during crisis. Since 2019, Mosier has led a diverse team of researchers with expertise in power system controls, reliability and resilience, systems analysis, hydropower, and renewable generation integration. Mosier helps DOE’s Water Power Technology Office understand technology innovation needs to enhance hydropower’s contribution to grid needs and opportunities in the energy-water nexus. As a research scientist, he lead INL’s hydropower portfolio and contributes to diverse projects related to renewable energy and grid modernization. Mosier’s focus includes helping to prepare the electrical grid for future operating conditions – characterized by an increased number of electrical vehicles and a higher percentage of generation derived from variable renewable resources (wind and solar) – and increasing the utilization of hydropower’s flexibility to balance and stabilize the electric grid under these possible scenarios. Previously he led and conducted research for the World Bank Group that advanced understanding of water resources and climate change in South Asia. He was also a Peace Corps volunteer teaching physics and math in Kenya.