Congratulations Professor Wissinger!

Learn more about this story on the American Chemical Society Sustainability Awards page.

In addition, Professor Xiong is among the recipients of the 2024 40 Under 40 Recognition Program by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists for their significant contributions to advancing Environmental Science or Environmental Engineering within the past year.

Congratulations Professor Xiong!

This accolade recognizes outstanding community leadership, with a special emphasis on excellence in educating youth and the public about materials science, bio-plastics, and plastic pollution. The teen teachers earned commendation for their remarkable efforts in environmental education, particularly in safeguarding Minnesota’s waters and lands.

Furthermore, the group has been selected to present at the National 4-H Ignite conference in Washington DC for the second consecutive year. At the conference, they will lead workshops on leveraging art to address plastic pollution, impacting approximately 80 teens nationwide.

Congratulations!

More on this story: https://www.mncounties.org/partners/u_of_m_extension/4h_community_leadership_awards.php

Image courtesy of University of Minnesota Extension

The lab, built around the synthesis of biodegradable calcium alginate capsules prepared from food-safe chemicals, gained notoriety from local TV station and newspaper.

This is not the first time that the curriculum has been used abroad. In 2022, Assistant Professor Louis Pitet from Hasselt University, implemented the same activity with nearly 150 high school students. 

Learn more by visiting the Dutch News Website TVL.

Listen to this story on  SBS News Australia.

Membrane filtration is a critical process in ensuring that water is clean and safe for human consumption. However, the current methods of making these membranes are expensive and consume a lot of energy. To develop more efficient and sustainable water filtration methods, Rowan and his team investigated polymer-grafted CNCs in the production of these membranes. They discovered that by controlling the amount of polymer attached to the CNCs and its arrangement, they could significantly enhance the membrane’s water filtration capability, from 3.5 liters per hour per square meter to 2900 liters per hour per square meter. These newly designed membranes also demonstrated an improved ability to filter out unwanted molecules of a certain size. Therefore, the new design permits water to pass through quickly while still keeping harmful substances out, thus enhancing the membrane’s overall effectiveness.

View the full publication on: ACS Applied Nano Materials.

Through computational simulations, insights were gained into how THF interacts with the acid sites of each catalyst type. Additionally, it was discovered that the inclusion of a water molecule could enhance the process, particularly with the Sulfuric acid-modified catalyst. Overall, the findings suggest that catalysts containing sulfur hold promise for the sustainable production of 1,3-BD from renewable sources, offering an environmentally friendly alternative for the synthesis of crucial materials like rubber.

The full paper is available on RSC Green Chemistry.

Learn more about CSP Investigator Lamb on the Department of Chemistry’s website.

Image courtesy of Annabelle Watts

Watch for more PELICANS stories coming soon!

Professor Calabrese was awarded in the category of chemicals and materials for her group’s employment of rheology, soft matter physics, and polymer and nanoparticle synthesis to address a range of fundamental and applied problems in polymer and soft materials engineering.

Congratulations Professor Calabrese!

Read more about this story at the CEMS website.