Sustainability Research Fellows Program
Above: Professor Zhiyong Gu, UML Chemical Engineering faculty, describes nanowire fabrication process to Greg Morose of TURI
FY09 Request for Proposals Now Available!
Please contact Pam Eliason for more information. Access the solicitation in the box in the upper right hand corner of this page.
The Sustainability Research Fellows program taps the research strengths of UMass to advance the investigation, development and evaluation of technologies that are environmentally, occupationally and economically sound. Since its inception in 1992 this program (under various program names) has provided over $800,000 in funding to UMass researchers, supporting more than 40 graduate and doctoral level students. The research has contributed to industry adoption of toxics use reduction, has allowed researchers to obtain patents, and has contributed to TURI's goal of reducing the use of toxic chemicals to promote safer worker and environmental health.
For more information about any of these projects or TURI's Sustainability Research Fellows Program, contact Pam Eliason at pam@turi.org, 978-934-3142.
2008 Research Projects
"Identifying Targets for Reducing Exposure to Agents that Cause or Exacerbate Asthma in Massachusetts" - Dr. David Kriebel and Dr. Richard Clapp, with research team Kathy Sperrazza, Molly Jacobs and Polly Hoppin, look at the trends in industrial use of known asthma toxicants in Massachusetts. This methods-level research may lead to greater understanding of the health impacts to workers of processing or using known asthma inducing or exacerbating chemicals.
"Greener Routes to Halogen-Free Flame Retardants" - The research team of Dr. Jayant Kumar, Dr. Ramaswamy Nagarajan, and doctoral candidate Subhalakshmi Nagarajan are researching a green chemistry approach to the synthesis of non-halogenated flame retardants. The enzymatic polymerization of potentially viable alternatives to BFRs for use in applications ranging from textiles to wire and cable coatings is being conducted, and the formulations are being tested for a important thermal performance characteristics.
"Nanoscale Lead-Free Solders ("Nano-Solders"): Synthesis, Characterization and Reflow Properties" - A variety of lead-free solders are being fabricated and tested by the research team of Dr. Zhiyong Gu, Subhadeep Mukherjee and Fan Gao. Nanowire fabrication is being conducted using Best Management Practices developed by Dr. Michael Ellenbecker, TURI's Director. The ability to create reliable electrical connections using lead-free materials at the nanoscale may lead to safer methods of creating the next generation of electronics.
This page updated Monday April 14 2008