NSF PR 97-60 - October 9, 1997
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NSF, Lucent Technologies Award Grants to Foster Industrial
Ecology
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and The Lucent
Technologies Foundation have awarded 18 grants to
researchers across the nation to advance the emerging
field of industrial ecology and to encourage businesses
to integrate pollution prevention practices into their
day-to-day operations.
The NSF/Lucent Technologies Industrial Ecology Research
Fellowships are each worth up to $50,000 per year
for two years. They will support an individual or
group of researchers focusing on research or teaching
to help industry design processes that prevent pollution
and create environmentally friendly products. Industrial
ecology provides a systematic approach to achieve
complete pollution prevention by eliminating the root
causes.
"A key goal of the fellowships is educating the next
generation of environmental scientists and engineers
by helping them and their teachers to carry out fundamental
environmental research," said Janie Fouke, who directs
NSF's Division of Bioengineering and Environmental
Systems. "Our hope is that these awards will bring
together researchers from many fields to collaborate
on solutions to common environmental concerns. We
are especially interested in seeing researchers develop
innovations that offer incentives -- such as greater
efficiency and cost savings -- that will motivate
industry to adopt more ecological processes."
This year's awards mark the first partnership between
NSF and The Lucent Technologies Foundation. The awards
carry on the industrial ecology fellowship program
begun five years ago by AT&T Foundation and continued
by Lucent.
"Many industries are incorporating the techniques
of industrial ecology into their environmental planning
as a result of regulations, public opinion and, in
many cases, cost savings," said Robert A. Laudise,
adjunct director of chemical research at Bell Labs,
the research and development arm of Lucent Technologies.
"However," Laudise added, "we need more basic research
in many areas: to develop environmentally benign processes
and products, assess life cycles, develop design tools,
model environmental impact priorities, design for
material and energy minimization, understand interactions
between product use and the environment, design for
disassembly or recycling, assess environmental risks,
and find ways to encourage pollution prevention through
legal, regulatory, economic and management processes."
The industrial ecology fellowships this year total
$ 1.2 million for 13 new awards and five renewals.
Attachment: List of 1997
NSF/Lucent Technologies Industrial Ecology Research
Fellows
Attachment
1997 NSF/Lucent Technologies Industrial Ecology Research
Fellows
These researchers have received the 1997 National
Science Foundation/Lucent Technologies Industrial
Ecology Research Fellowships. For more information
about specific grants, please contact the public affairs
office at these institutions.
University of Alabama: John Kaplan Gershenson
Green Modularity: Ecology and Product Retirement
The research seeks to identify how to incorporate
into the process of mechanical design the concept
of modular units that can be disassembled and
recycled or reused at the end of a product's life.
Colorado State University: Carol McConica
Nonflowing Chemical Processing for Thin Film Manufacturing
A study of a technique to eliminate the unnecessary
flow of chemicals during processing of thin films
manufactured for integrated circuits.
Yale University: Thomas E. Graedel
Modeling the Industrial Ecosystem
A mathematical investigation of the flows of materials,
energy and capital in an industrial ecosystem,
analogous to models of biological ecosystems.
Florida Institute of Technology: John Engblom
Life Cycle Assessment/Design Methodology for Reinforced
Commingled Recycled Plastic Lumber (CRPL)
Analysis of structural form and potential life
cycle of synthetic lumber, and development of
a method to design this product with computer
technology.
Georgia Institute of Technology: Dennis W. Hess
Removal of Organic Films and Contaminants from
Surfaces Using Elevated Pressure, Elevated Temperature
Water
Development of a new, ecologically superior approach
to cleaning and conditioning surfaces of contaminants
during fabrication of semiconductors.
University of Michigan: Gregory A. Keoleian
Life Cycle Design of Building Integrated Photovoltaic
Systems
Development of a life-cycle design model to evaluate
the full energy, environmental and economic benefits
of equipping a building with solar energy technology
compared to conventional systems for generating
electricity.
University of Missouri-Rolla: Venkat Allada
Formalization of Disassembly Process to Support
Serviceability and End-of-Product Life Options
Development of a tool to provide insight in the
design of products that can be disassembled into
reusable, recyclable or benignly disposable components
at the end of their useful life.
North Carolina State University: George W. Roberts
In-Situ Generation of Hazardous Reactants for Chemical
Synthesis
An evaluation of a novel reactor for on-site generation
of chemicals as an environmentally benign approach
to the problem of using reactive and hazardous
chemicals in manufacturing.
Ohio State University: Julie Ann Stuart
Models and Instruction for Life Cycle Material
Content Decisions
A study of a polymer degradation approach to designing
products with reusable materials. The study emphasizes
integration of environmentally conscious engineering
lessons into the student engineering curriculum.
Pennsylvania State University: Timothy Considine
Environmental and New Technology Adoption in the
U.S. Steel Industry
Integrated assessment of new recycling technology
in the steel industry, including life cycle analysis
of steel making and pollutant by-products; scrap
recycling; investment in new steel-making technologies;
the impact and tradeoffs of pollution control
policies and environmental goals.
University of Rhode Island: Winston Knight
Models and Tools for End-of-Life Product Management
Development of analytical tools to be used during
early product design to evaluate the ease of disassembly
and recycling, with the goal of more efficient
bulk recycling, including the batch-mixing of
different products.
Prairie View A&M University: Ziaul Huque
Pollution Control in Fuel Cell Applications Using
Ceramic Candle Filter for Cleaner Power Generation
The researcher seeks to develop a method of removing
particulates and toxic pollutants from coal gas;
for use in fuel cells. Research will include developing
and testing a working prototype of a ceramic filter.
IVAM Environmental Research (Netherlands): René
van Berkel
Environmental Process Diagnosis and Improvement
Tool
University of Amsterdam research will develop
and test a diagnostic and improvement tool that
can help identify, evaluate and implement environmental
improvements in manufacturing.
Second Year Continuing Awards FY 1997
for Industrial Ecology Fellowships
Funded by Lucent Technologies Foundation
Howard University: Ely A. Dorsey
An Environmental Justice Template of the Industrial
Ecology Paradigm
Researchers will examine fairness issues involved
in how sites are chosen for new manufacturing
facilities and pollution cleanup.
Rutgers University: Daniel J. Shanefield and W.
Roger Cannon
High Solids, Water Based Tape Casting
Aims to eliminate volatile solvents used to prepare
ceramic tape - a large source of environmental
impact in the ceramic industry.
Brown University: Joseph M. Calo
"Point Source" Metals Recovery Via Spouted Bed
Electrolytic Reactors
A new design for electrolytic recovery of metals
used in electroplating, with strong prospects
for reducing costs.
University of Virginia: Susan E. Carlson-Skalak
Focusing on Ecology Within Concurrent Engineering
Framework
Researchers propose developing software to help
incorporate environmental factors into engineering
planning practices.
University of Wisconsin-Madison: Rajit Gadh
Design for Disassembly to Support Virtual De-manufacturing
Developing computer-aided product design tools
which address issues of ease of manufacturing
and ease of disassembly and recycling.
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