News Release 13-180
'National Chemistry Week' celebrates sustainable resources
NSF announces more than $49 million in sustainable chemistry, engineering and materials science awards
October 25, 2013
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.
From waste prevention to energy-efficient design to safer manufacturing processes and substitutes for rare natural resources, sustainability considerations are key to meeting projected global needs and encouraging a safer tomorrow.
It is likely then that National Chemistry Week 2013 would choose a theme of "Energy: Now and Forever! Exploring chemistry and energy with a focus on sustainable resources." This is a good opportunity for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to announce its inaugural awards for the Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering and Materials (SusChEM) initiative that invests $49 million in 101 groups of scientists and engineers.
Started in 2012 as an interdisciplinary initiative, SusChEM focuses on aspects of chemistry, engineering and materials in sustainable research and aims to support the discovery of new science and engineering that will provide humanity with a safe, stable and sustainable supply of chemicals and materials sufficient to meet future global demand. While NSF has historically supported this kind of research, the SusChEM initiative elevates this interest to a high priority.
"NSF is proud to be able to support these investigators who not only propose cutting-edge science but also portray a strong commitment to preparing a diverse STEM workforce dedicated to addressing critical needs in global sustainability," said Jackie Gervay-Hague, director of the Chemistry Division in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences. "These are the scientists who will endeavor to make the world a better place for future generations."
SusChEM is a program under the umbrella of NSF-wide Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) that the agency created in 2010 as an initiative to support the discovery of new knowledge to help solve global sustainability issues.
In particular, SEES has promoted an integrated, interdisciplinary approach for sustainability challenges involving social, economic and environmental aspects. SusChEM was created in partial response to the mandate of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, which states that NSF should establish a "Green Chemistry Basic Research program" to provide "sustained support" for "research into green and sustainable chemistry which will lead to safe, clean, and economical alternatives to traditional chemical products and practices" as well as green chemistry education and technology transfer. After workshops, webinars and meetings with the scientific community, the SusChEM initiative was born and announced to the community on June 26, 2012, through a "Dear Colleague Letter."
The following is a list of the lead investigators for the SusChEM awards. For more information on these awards, visit the NSF Award Abstracts Database, and enter 'SusChEM' in the "Search Award for" field.
Researcher | Institution |
Paul Anastas | Yale University |
Largus Angenent | Cornell University |
Eray Aydil | University of Minnesota |
Jillian Banfield | University of California-Berkeley |
Veronica Barone | Central Michigan University |
Christopher Bielawski | University of Texas at Austin |
Joseph Biernacki | Tennessee Technological University |
Janet Bluemel | Texas A&M University |
Andrew Bocarsly | Princeton University |
Shannon Boettcher | University of Oregon Eugene |
Stephen Bradforth | University of Southern California |
Christopher Bradley | Mount St. Mary's University, Md. |
David Cann | Oregon State University |
Burjor Captain | University of Miami |
John Caradonna | Trustees of Boston University |
Yves Chabal | University of Texas at Dallas |
Eugene Chen | Colorado State University |
Shaowei Chen | University of California-Santa Cruz |
Xi Chen | University of California-Davis |
Paul Chirik | Princeton University |
Phillip Christopher | University of California-Riverside |
Silas Cook | Indiana University |
Dennis Curran | University of Pittsburgh |
Marcetta Darensbourg | Texas A&M University |
Michael Doherty | University of California-Santa Barbara |
Guangbin Dong | University of Texas at Austin |
John Dorgan | Colorado School of Mines |
Marc Edwards | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
William Evans | University of California-Irvine |
Matthew Fields | Montana State University |
Alison Flatau | University of Maryland College Park |
John Gilbertson | Western Washington University |
Martin Green | Materials Research Society, Pa. |
Christopher Hartley | Miami University, Ohio |
Gregory Hillhouse | University of Chicago |
Eric Hoek | University of California-Los Angeles |
Liangbing Hu | University of Maryland College Park |
Frieder Jaekle | Rutgers University Newark |
Elizabeth Jarvo | University of California-Irvine |
David Jenkins | University of Tennessee Knoxville |
Li Jia | University of Akron |
Christopher Jones | Georgia Tech Research Corporation |
Matthew Kanan | Stanford University |
Erdogan Kiran | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
Brian Korgel | University of Texas at Austin |
Robert Lad | University of Maine |
Brian Laird | University of Kansas Center for Research Inc |
Gojko Lalic | University of Washington |
M. Tyler Ley | Oklahoma State University |
Peter Lovine | University of San Diego |
Janet Macdonald | Vanderbilt University |
Frederick MacDonnell | University of Texas at Arlington |
Jakob Magolan | University of Idaho |
E. Neil Marsh | University of Michigan Ann Arbor |
Mark Mascal | University of California-Davis |
Robert Mathers | Pennsylvania State University |
Jeanne McHale | Washington State University |
Jennifer McIntosh | University of Arizona |
Jose Menendez | Arizona State University |
Stephen Miller | University of Florida |
Liviu Mirica | Washington University |
John Montgomery | University of Michigan Ann Arbor |
Janet Morrow | SUNY at Buffalo |
Alexandra Navrotsky | University of California-Davis |
Christopher Nomura | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry |
Aaron Odom | Michigan State University |
Paul Van Patten | Middle Tennessee State University |
Christie Peebles | Colorado State University |
Jeanne Pemberton | University of Arizona |
Hrvoje Petek | University of Pittsburgh |
Jeffrey Pyun | University of Arizona |
Anthony Rappe | Colorado State University |
Jonathan Rochford | University of Massachusetts Boston |
Ashaki Rouff | CUNY Queens College |
Chang Ryu | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, N.Y. |
Daniel Seidel | Rutgers University New Brunswick |
Randall Snurr | Northwestern University, Ill. |
Ponisseril Somasundaran | Columbia University |
Nancy Sottos | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Christopher Stanton | University of Florida |
Susanne Striegler | University of Arkansas |
Bala Subramaniam | University of Kansas Center for Research Inc |
Meng Tao | Arizona State University |
T. Don Tilley | University of California-Berkeley |
Adam Veige | University of Florida |
Israel Wachs | Lehigh University, Pa. |
Timothy Warren | Georgetown University |
Rory Waterman | University of Vermont & State Agricultural College |
Robert Waymouth | Stanford University |
Steven Wheeler | Texas A&M University Main Campus |
Ruqian Wu | University of California-Irvine |
Judith Yang | University of Pittsburgh |
Yuan Yao | Purdue University |
Huiming Yin | Columbia University |
Zhanping You | Michigan Technological University |
Michael Zdilla | Temple University |
Qiming Zhang | University of Texas at Arlington |
Yong Zhang | Stevens Institute of Technology |
Viktor Zhdankin | University of Minnesota Duluth |
Nan Zheng | University of Arkansas |
Julie Zilles | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
-NSF-
Media Contacts
Ivy F. Kupec, NSF, (703) 292-8796, email: ikupec@nsf.gov
The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.
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