EPA Awards Univ. of Connecticut Grant to Help Design Sustainable Technologies; College students to design projects to help environment and economy
(Boston, Mass. - Oct. 28, 2011) - The University of Connecticut was one of two universities in New England to receive a national grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to design creative solutions to sustainability challenges in the developed and developing world.
The University of Connecticut received the grant for a project investigating ways to use industrial by-products such as steel slag and cement kiln ash to control erosion and stabilize roads in developing countries.
EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Phase I grants for the 2011-2012 school year were awarded to 45 teams of college and university students across the country.
The University of New Hampshire received a grant for a project that involves trying to use wind generated from traffic and natural flow under bridges to harvest energy for powering lighting, signals, and emergency warning systems.
The P3 grants challenge students, working together on interdisciplinary teams, to design and build sustainable technologies that improve quality of life, promote economic development and protect the environment.
The annual EPA P3 competition begins with Phase I grant awards of $15,000 to student teams that then work on projects in a range of categories including water, energy, agriculture, built environment, and materials and chemicals.
After working on the project for eight months, the teams will bring their designs to the 8th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington D.C around Earth Day. At the expo, the projects will be judged by a panel of experts. A few teams will be selected for Phase II grants of up to $90,000 for students to improve their designs, implement them in the field, or move them to the marketplace.
Applications are being accepted through Dec. 22, 2011, for the next round of Phase I awards for the 2012-2013 school year. In addition to the categories above, teams can also propose innovative ideas for green infrastructure and designing clean cookstoves.