Award Data

Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the most rapidly growing waste problems worldwide. Improper handling of e-waste results in vast amounts of toxic waste being sent to landfill and leaching into the water supply. Due to these concerns e-waste recycling is a rapidly growing industry. Unfortunately, most current e-waste recycling processes rely on either manual hand sorting or differential dens ...

Wastewater treatments minimize transmission of pathogens, and are required by the EPA with established treatment and monitoring requirements. The efficiency of treatment processes is determined by measuring the inactivation of indicator organisms (e.g., fecal coliforms) with culture-based techniques. Recently, Clostridium perfringens spores have been identified as excellent indicator organisms t ...

Breast cancer is not a disease of individual cells, but principally a failure of cells and tissues to communicate properly. One communication mechanism that is frequently disrupted in breast cancer involves the hormone estrogen. Despite recognition that exposure to compounds with estrogenic activity can promote breast cancer formation and progression, no good mechanistic explanation presently ex ...

Environmental pollutants that impact critical biological pathways involved in human development and physiology can have unpredictable effect on health. Among these critical pathways, various receptor tyrosine kinases, sonic hedgehog, transforming growth factor beta, Notch and WNT are known or suspected mediators of the effect of numerous environmental toxicants produced during manufacturing, pres ...

There are approximately 7,000 flares in operation at industrial facilities across the U.S. Flares are one of the largest Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and air toxics emissions sources. Based on a special emission inventory required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in 2007, highly reactive VOC emissions from 28 flares located in 11 facilities in Harris County, Texas, where 1,46 ...

HJ Science & Technology, Inc. proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated“lab-on-a-chip” technology capable of rapid and real time detection and identification of a variety of toxins in drinking water, particularly microcystins and other toxins produced by cyanobacteria. During blooms, the toxins in freshwater become concentrated enough to be a serious concern for ahuman health, ...

The environmental impact of wood coatings has become a pressing issue as the manufacturing of wooden products such as flooring, cabinetry, furniture and doors is moving back to the United States amidst rising labor costs overseas. For the last thirty years the bulk of these products have been painted in countries with lax environmental regulations, allowing the use of inexpensive but environmenta ...

The proposed EPA SBIR Phase I program will create a novel ultra low power and low cost microfabricated CO2 sensor. The initial developments of sensor technology will serve the very large Demand Controlled Ventilation market that has been identified by KWJ and its collaborators. Phase I is dedicated to design, fabrication and testing of the innovative system consisting of a unique MEMS sensor, di ...

In this abstract the development of vertical power transistors utilizing bulk GaN substrates with breakdown voltages of 1200V or higher, normally-off operation, and a drain current rating of 100A is proposed. These devices will feature vertical current flow, avalanche ruggedness, and a wide operating temperature range (-55 to 150°C). The target specific on-resistance for the transistor is 30x low ...

In this abstract the development of vertical power transistors utilizing bulk GaN substrates with breakdown voltages of 1200V or higher, normally-off operation, and a drain current rating of 100A is proposed. These devices will feature vertical current flow, avalanche ruggedness, and a wide operating temperature range (-55 to 150°C). The target specific on-resistance for the transistor is 30x low ...