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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Pete Visclosky today announced that he has secured $8,081,000 for cutting edge research projects in Northwest Indiana that can help make Northwest Indiana a leader in the innovation economy. $7,129,500 will go to Purdue University Calumet and $951,500 will go to NuVant Systems of Crown Point. The funding is included in the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, February 25.
“Now is the time to build a new economy in Northwest Indiana, and making the region a place that fosters cutting edge research is a great way to do it,” said Visclosky. “This support for new technology and new ideas is a down payment on Northwest Indiana’s future.”
Purdue Calumet’s funding includes $4,757,500 for the Center for Computational Simulation and Visualization, $951,500 for the Inland Water Institute, $951,500 for the Hydrogen Technologies Program, and $469,000 to develop ditag genome scan technology.
“Purdue Calumet is taking a leading role in advancing high tech research and innovative ideas in Northwest Indiana,” said Visclosky. “These projects will help Northwest Indiana’s existing industries transition into the 21st century and lay the foundation for new opportunities in information technology, green energy, innovative water management, and biotechnology.”
“Because of this support from Congressman Visclosky, Purdue Calumet will play a significant role in developing technologies that will increase productivity and limit downtime for our local manufacturing companies, particularly in the steel companies and refineries,” said Purdue Calumet Chancellor Howard Cohen. “These funds also will help us to establish a master’s degree program for our Center for Computational Simulation and Visualization.”
The Center for Computational Simulation and Visualization provides an innovative way to learn and understand extremely complex information through visualizing, manipulating, and interacting with computer-generated simulations and models, as well as allow users to interact with three dimensional computerized environments. Rapid advancements in computation speeds, sophisticated graphics, and numerical methods enable the widespread use of simulation including the design and optimization of industrial and transportation systems. For example, Purdue Calumet’s visualization laboratory made it possible for researchers to simulate wear inside steelmaking blast furnaces, see how erosion in the furnaces is distributed, and evaluate ways to decrease damage.
The Inland Water Institute takes an interdisciplinary approach to complex issues dealing with water quality, water security, water infrastructure protection, and related policy issues. The Institute is developing a detection system that would utilize a sensor network, data communication, data mining, and data fusion to create a high-accuracy intrusion, damage, and toxic contamination warning system that keeps infrastructure safe. Its research can help make the region a leader in innovative water strategies and solutions.
The Hydrogen Technologies Program will use its funding to continue research into utilizing hydrogen as a commercial fuel source. The funding will help complete basic research and technology demonstration that will lead to commercialization so that clean-burning hydrogen can become a viable fuel source. The program’s objective is to develop a formal design for a modular energy system for local energy production that would make Northwest Indiana a leader in hydrogen energy production.
The ditag genome scan technology project’s goal is to establish a new genome-based methodology aimed at improving water and food quality. The technology will be applied toward recognizing outbreaks of infection and identifying microbial contamination in water and food. Ditag genome scan technology has the ability to differentiate between microbial strains with nearly identical DNA sequences. It will have worldwide impact as a significant tool for mitigating waterborne disease from unsanitary water conditions and food-borne illnesses from bacterial pathogens. The recent stories about salmonella in peanut butter highlight the need for such improvements in contamination detection.
NuVant Systems develops and integrates catalysts and electrolytes for stationary and portable fuel cell electrode assemblies. It will use the funding to address efficiency, size, and cost concerns associated with existing direct methanol fuel cell technology. NuVant Systems will design, fabricate, and test new fuel cells with the objective of demonstrating a new technology that can be utilized in low power equipment like radios. NuVant Systems is headquartered at the Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana in Crown Point and conducts its research there. It currently employs 14 people and plans to hire two more as it expands into an additional 1,000 feet of laboratory space this year, making it a great example of a new economy employer that has chosen to locate and grow in Northwest Indiana.
“Not only is NuVant Systems’ research an important component to solving our energy crisis, but it also creates high-paying jobs in Northwest Indiana,” said Visclosky. “I supported the Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana to attract firms like NuVant to the region and am proud to support their research now that they are here. Their work, and the work of other green, future-oriented companies, can position Northwest Indiana at the apex of the emerging green energy technology industry.” |
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