| May 19 , 2009 | Vol. 3. No.9 |
IN THIS ISSUE: MMPEI AND U-M NEWS, ENERGY NEWS, and FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
MMPEI NEWS AND U-M NEWS
U-M chosen as one of DOE's university-led nuclear research and development projects
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the selection of 71 university research project awards as part of the Department of Energy’s investments in cutting-edge nuclear energy research and development (R&D). Funded research projects at the University of Michgan include two Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) projects and an Investigator-Initiated Research (IIR) project.
U - M student led Husk Insulation wins $200,000 MIT prize
University of Michigan's Husk Insulation was named the winner of the $200,000 MIT Clean Energy Prize, a national student competition founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the US Department of Energy, and NSTAR to accelerate the pace of clean energy entrepreneurship. Husk Insulation's idea was selected from more than 100 initial entrees that seek to save energy, said NSTAR's press release, which added that with roughly 11 million refrigerators sold each year in the United States, potential energy savings from the Husk concept is "significant." Husk was a finalist for the DTE- U-M Clean Energy Prize this spring.
First URC seed grant produces major return on investment
A $523,282 seed grant from Michigan's University Research Corridor has already helped generate a U.S. Energy Department recommendation for $12.5 million in additional federal support. The URC, an alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, was founded to leverage the power of Michigan's research universities to transform the state's economy. Last May, the URC announced its first seed fund grants to provide startup support for two "revolutionary but feasible" energy projects and the largest has helped bring new federal grants to Michigan.
The energy institute welcomes new faculty fellow Bartlett
The Phoenix Energy Institute welcomes Bart Bartlett as a new faculty fellow. His research interests are in inorganic materials, particularly investigating the correlation between atomic/molecular structure and electronic structure for the applications of water oxidation, battery cathode production, and superconductivity.
Video: U-M students in Patagonia study hydropower projects
ENERGY NEWS
Chu asks college students, presidents to help spend $37 billion
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said he will ask university presidents, deans, and students across the U.S. to help decide how to spend $37 billion in stimulus money. Chu said he will ask students to consider taking a “leave of absence” from school to work at the Department of Energy to help with the review of proposals.
Secretary Chu: Calling all cold fusion inventors—and other revolutionaries
The DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, modelled on a successful Defense Department research scheme, is offering up to $20 million assistance to make moonshots reality. Small thinkers need not apply: “We are not looking for incremental progress on current technologies.”
U.S. drops research into fuel cells for cars
Cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, once hailed by President George W. Bush as a pollution-free solution for reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, will not be practical over the next 10 to 20 years, the energy secretary said Thursday, and the government will cut off funds for the vehicles’ development. Developing those cells and coming up with a way to transport the hydrogen is a big challenge, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in releasing energy-related details of the administration’s budget for the year beginning Oct. 1. Dr. Chu said the government preferred to focus on projects that would bear fruit more quickly.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Integrated Biorefinery Operations - Due 06/30/09
The intent of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will be to select integrated biorefinery projects that have the necessary technical and economic performance data that validates their readiness for the next level of scale-up. In general, integrated biorefineries employ various combinations of feedstocks and conversion technologies to produce a variety of products, with the main focus on producing biofuels and bioproducts. Funding opportunity number: DE-FOA-0000096
Visit http://www.energy.umich.edu/info/index.html for additional funding opportunities.
Visit http://www.energy.umich.edu/careers/opportunities for information on University of Michigan open faculty positions and opportunites in energy research.
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