Award Data

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened awareness of airborne pathogens and their role in transmitting infection throughout the population. The threat of airborne pathogens extends beyond SARS-CoV-2. Diseases caused by airborne viruses (Influenza), bacteria (Legionnaires’ disease and Tuberculosis), and fungi (aspergillosis) are also prevalent, with Influenza estimated to cause 200,000–500,000 wor ...

Many municipalities in the United States have begun to use impermeability measurements to incentivize storm water retention as part of the architectural and landscaping design process. These measurements are performed through analysis of high-resolution aerial photography and updated on an annual or semi-annual basis. The practice of using high resolution aerial or even satellite photography is pr ...

Michigan Aerospace proposes to retrofit the Egret LIDAR technology to improve operation stormwater management infrastructure. The Egret LIDAR is a novel sensor that can monitor stormwater without submersion. Using LIDAR remote sensing, the Egret can measure turbidity, surface height, water depth, flow speed, and suspended particle sizes from above the water surface. The Egret measures water proper ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened awareness of the role airborne pathogens play in transmitting infection and will leave a legacy of focused attention on indoor air quality for the foreseeable future. Indoor enclosed spaces are high-risk environments for increased transmission of aerosolized pathogens like COVID-19, SARS, influenza, and other yet-to-emerge diseases. Many situations, including o ...

Taskforces, utilities, and manufacturers must adapt to contaminants of emerging concern. The most prevalent, persistent, and problematic of these pertinent pollutants are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Resource managers need reliable and resilient technologies that convert waste streams to value streams and satisfy regulations. Current state of practice for management of PFAS-laden so ...

Mass transit ridership in every major metropolitan city has precipitously dropped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A wide range of technologies are needed to bring the SARS-CoV-2 virus under control and prevent future viral outbreaks. Infectious quantities of viruses can survive on contaminated surfaces for days requiring continuous cleaning to ensure clean, virus free surfaces. The objective of this ...

The decline of coral reefs can be feasibly reversed by introducing coral transplants that are stabilized via adhesion to substrates. An adhesive is under development to safely and economically improve the speed and success rate of stabilizing coral transplants. This adhesive comprises a bioactive inorganic and an organic polymer constituent that function synergistically to enable rapid and control ...

Coral transplantation is a primary management option for rehabilitation of degraded reefs. Stabilization (via adhesion, etc.) of transplants on existing reef or artificial substrates notably improves their survival rate. Improved underwater adhesives are needed for expedient and convenient stabilization of coral transplants with improved survival rate. A new hybrid organic-inorganic adhesive is pr ...

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PF AS) have been widely used in everyday consumer products. Landfills are the final repository for the PF AS-containing products and wastes, and consequently, one of the major sources of PF AS to the environment. Elevated concentrations of PFAS in leachate have raised concerns regarding disposal of leachate. Yet, cost-effective treatment technologies for PF AS ...

Many people recognize how critical it is to understand our weather, climate, and environment. Educators already use NOAA data and models in working with students and their communities as part of their teaching and outreach. With the exponential growth in data, however, many of them struggle with accessing and managing that data. Evolving data formats and computing requirements make it very challen ...