Monday May 23 2011 - May 23, 2011 Greener Materials Research Symposium

With funding from the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI), UMass Lowell researchers have investigated vegetable oil-based binders for particleboard manufacturers, cleaning surfactants made from pectin, lead-free materials used on printed circuit boards, a safer method of sterilization for the biopharmaceutical industry and more.

The Symposium will include interactive discussions as well as a poster session at 1:00 PM, that features two recent national award winners whose research originated with TURI funding – UMass Lowell student Zarif Farhana , who was recognized at the annual American Chemical Society Conference and Sethumadhavan Ravichandran and Ryan Bouldin, who were awarded the 2011 EPA’s People, Prosperity and Planet (P3) Extramural Research Grant .

Representatives from local companies will also be in attendance, helping to broaden a discussion of future applied research opportunities that connect the interests of UMass Lowell researchers with the needs of Massachusetts industry through the lens of toxics use reduction.

TURI will announce this year’s request for academic grant proposals for funding of up to $20,000 per project. Researchers from any UMass college or department are encouraged to apply to develop technologies that support innovation in industry that does not rely on the use of toxic chemicals.

This event contributes to the International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC 2011) initiatives that are underway around the world, as described at http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/activities/

To register or for more information, please contact Pam Eliason, 978-934-3142, [email protected] .