$3,131,019 Awarded Through Stimulus Funding

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) announced eight projects at Michigan Technological University have received at total of $4,172,719 from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  Projects include work on sustainable fuel production and increased feasibility of fuel cell vehicles, as well as the creation of large-scale climate models. All eight projects work to foster education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from K-12 through graduate-level studies.  Four of the projects, totaling $3,131,019, were funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA).

“Michigan Tech has been a long-standing leader in research and education dedicated to science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” Stupak said.  “This funding will continue that tradition, as well as provide the innovations and cutting-edge technology necessary to create the next generation of sustainable, energy-efficient products right here in Northern Michigan.”

"These projects come from all across campus,” said David D. Reed, vice president for research at Michigan Tech.  “They illustrate the mix of research activities here at Michigan Tech.  It is especially gratifying that some of our recently hired faculty are participating in this success. We are grateful to the National Science Foundation for these awards." 

Michigan Tech projects that received funding are:

“Bimetallic Overlayer Catalysts for Sustainable Fuel Production from Lactose”

– $300,000

This award was provided through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.  Research will work to improve bimetallic catalysts to allow for sustainable fuel production from lactose, helping to improve the environment.  The project will also work to integrate sustainability and catalyst education and research in the classroom starting from middle school on through graduate school.

“New GK12 GlobalWatershed: Integrating Rural and Global Perspectives with Research and Technological Advances” – $2,499,351

This award was provided through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.  As part of this project, graduate Fellows will conduct research in watershed science topics while working with middle and high school teachers to create lesson plans that transfer this knowledge to K-12 students.  The goal of the project is to expand traditional STEM graduate training, make this expanded training a permanent fixture at Michigan Tech, and enrich STEM learning and instruction at local K-12 schools serving low-income and high Native American populations.

“Catalytic Activation, Spillover, and Storage of Hydrogen on Transition-metals/MOF’s” – $302,650

This award was provided through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.  The project will research metal organic frameworks (MOF’s) as potential candidates for H2 storage.  These storage materials could lead to a decrease in hydrogen storage costs impacting the commercial feasibility of fuel cell vehicles.  The project will also establish a special program to promote the technology of hydrogen energy into high school classrooms by training high school teachers. 

“EAGER: Using Nonmetals Separated from E-Waste and Waste Plastic Bags in Improving the Mechanical Properties of Asphalt Materials” – $29,018

This award was provided through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.  This project will investigate the improvement of mechanical properties of asphalt materials with the use of nonmetals separated from E-waste (such as computer monitors and cameras) and waste plastic bags to improve transportation systems and lower infrastructure costs.  The project will also advance research and understanding of infrastructural materials while promoting the teaching, training and learning of high school students and teachers, undergraduate and graduates students, and professionals from industry and the government.

“Competitive Distributed Control Methodologies for Small Scale Power Systems”

– $350,001

This project will study the interactions and influences that individual components of a power system have on each other and on overall system performance to develop a new approach to energy control and management.  The project will also enhance the content of undergraduate and graduate classes, including the addition of laboratory experiences.

“CDI-Type II Proposal: VHub: Collaborative Research: Cyberinfrastructure for Volcano Eruption and Hazards Modeling and Simulation” – $333,343

This project will work to integrate multi-disciplinary computational thinking into volcanology research and application to promote accessibility of appropriate models and data to organizations around the world charged with assessing and reducing the risk of volcanic processes.  The project will also serve to recruit new students into geosciences and computational sciences.  Michigan Tech is collaborating with SUNY at Buffalo and the University of South Florida on the project

“Collaborative Research: Hygroscopic Properties of Aerosol Organics” – $125,437

This project will provide information that can be incorporated into large-scale climate models to better predict direct and indirect aerosol radiative effects.  The research will be incorporated into student projects as part of the Geoscience Research at Storm Peak (GRASP) activity, which engages students from underrepresented groups. 

“Compression and Cooperation for Wideband Spectrum Sensing and Cognition” – $232,919

Research done in this project has the potential to lead to techniques that can improve wireless networks.  Research experiences gained through this project will help prepare students for engineering in the 21^st century.

The NSF funds research and education in science and engineering, through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. The Foundation accounts for about 20 percent of federal support to academic institutions for basic research.

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