Greener Solutions
The Greener Solutions program is project based class that partners students with companies, non-profits, and/or government agencies interested in promoting the adoption of more sustainable chemistry. Every year we recruit teams of graduate students and advanced undergraduates to work closely with one of our partner organizations on an interdisciplinary projects that leverages students knowledege in a real-world context. Learn more about our past projects below.
We are now accepting applications for the 2013 class. Click here to download the Fall 2013 application.
FALL 2013
This fall we will be partnering with the Biomimicry Institute to consider biologically inspired design alternatives as a starting place for the replacement of formaldehyde based resins, adhesives and preservatives which are used in textiles and beauty products. Students will work alongside industrial partners to identify the most promising replacement materials.
FALL 2012
During the fall of 2012 we partnered with Hewlett Packard and the Department of Toxic Substance Control on a project related to the informal e-waste recycling sector. An interdisciplinary team of students from Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science and Public Health worked with scientist at HP to characterize the processes and emissions from common e-waste recycling practices. This information informs changes to the design of consumer electronics that minimize the use of harmful substances, as well as identifying emerging contaminated from newer generations of electronics. The student team produced a comprehensive report for HP which they presented to the materials division in December. They will be presenting the report to an international HP audience in May.
Greener Solutions Application `12
Final Report: Identifying substances of concern during informal recycling of electronics