Faculty from NDSU and the University of North Dakota have recently completed five energy-related seed grant projects as part of the Department of Energy’s North Dakota Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) infrastructure improvement program.
The purpose of this seed grant program is to assist in developing NDSU and UND research capabilities related to sustainable energy. A panel of sustainable energy experts from inside and outside the university system reviewed proposals for this competitive seed grant program.
The grants, which ran from May 2007 through December 2008, were awarded as follows:
• Sivaguru Jayaraman, assistant professor of chemistry, “Imprinting Molecular Chirality During Light-Induced Transformations in Solution,” $22,000
• Chad Ulven, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics, “Ultra-lightweight Polymer Composites for Wind Energy System – Turbine Blade Structures,” $49,770
• Soizik Laguette, assistant professor in the UND John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, Department of Earth System Science and Policy, “Spectral Characterization of Switchgrass for Biomass Energy and Biofuel Quality,” $32,295
• Hossein Salehfar, professor in the UND School of Engineering and Mines, Department of Electrical Engineering, “Modeling of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell and Electrolyzer Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Technique,” $18,000
• Julia Zhao, associate professor in the UND College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, “Development of TiO2 Nanocatalysts for Sustainable Energy,” $50,000
Based on the productivity documented by the participants, the seed grant program was a success. The grants resulted in 15 refereed publications and 12 technical presentations. Seed grant awardees also submitted 16 proposals for further research valued at $3,352,000 and were awarded seven grants totaling $1,704,000 based on work performed under their seed grants. The North Dakota Department of Energy EPSCoR seed grant program was administered by the North Dakota Sustainable Energy Research Initiative (ND SUNRISE) in coordination with the North Dakota EPSCoR program.
The Department of Energy's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research is a federal-state partnership program designed to help lead the world in meeting today's and tomorrow's energy needs through increased competition in energy-related research and development across the entire nation.
SUNRISE is a student centered, faculty organized super cluster comprising of 31 faculty in 14 separate academic departments at UND, NDSU, Mayville State University and the North Dakota State College of Science. SUNRISE research is focused in three areas: the technologies to enable the environmentally sustainable use of coal; the production of fuels, chemicals, polymers, and composites from renewable source; and the harvesting of energy from diffuse sources (wind, solar and hydrogen). More than 170 undergraduate and graduate students have worked on SUNRISE research projects.
For more information, contact Ulven, who also serves as associate director of North Dakota SUNRISE, at chad.ulven@ndsu.edu or 1-5641.
