The College and faculty have received several grants to support bioengineering, nanotechnology and aerogels.
“Of particular interest are opportunities that allow students to explore the relationships between the liberal arts and technology,” says Douglass Klein, director, Center for Converging Technologies (CT).
The newest grants include:
New York State Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR): This is a partnership between Union; U-Start, the Union-affiliated business incubator; NYSTAR; and the Watervliet Innovation Center (WIC). It will provide approximately $150,000 to the College to support faculty and students who are undertaking research projects in cooperation with companies located at the WIC in areas such as nanotechnology, optical and chemical sensing, and fire prevention and control.
NSF-RUI (Research at Undergraduate Institutions), Aerogel Gas Sensor Platform: Mary K. Carroll, professor of chemistry, and Ann Anderson, associate professor of mechanical engineering, lead a research team that has developed a new rapid supercritical extraction method for fabricating aerogel monoliths. The team will compare their fabricated aerogel platform gas sensors with those fabricated using conventional supercritical extraction methods.
Integrating Micro-Computed Tomography in Undergraduate Bioengineering Courses: This NSF-sponsored grant was awarded to Andy Rapoff, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, to foster interdisciplinary thinking and excite students with the possibilities in bioengineering.
Information about grants related to CT support can be found at www.union.edu/CT/Support.