The Sustainability Institute and the Center for Energy Research, Training and Innovation (CERTAIN) have announced the awardees of the 2020 Sustainability Research Seed Grant Program. This program fosters sustainability and resilience research at Ohio State by supporting new interdisciplinary research teams.
Partnering with colleagues across colleges at Ohio State and internationally, the faculty members are exploring solutions for sustainable agriculture, food systems, clean energy and water, and electricity generation from heat.
The seed grant program aims to lay a foundation for convergence research, a means of solving vexing research problems, in particular, complex problems focusing on societal needs. It entails integrating knowledge, methods and expertise from different disciplines and forming novel frameworks to catalyze scientific discovery and innovation.
The recipients:
"Smart" release fertilizer product to reduce pollution and promote sustainable agriculture: This project develops an alternative approach (a new phosphorus fertilizer) that builds relationships between mutualistic soil fungi and crop plants by supplying the fungi instead of the plants. This approach will limit phosphorus additions (reducing costs) and run-off (reducing negative environmental impacts) while promoting soil health and sustainable agriculture. Combining knowledge from soil ecology and biomedical engineering, the project will develop "smart-release" hydrogel material that delivers nutrients to only mutualistic fungi.
Researchers: Alison Bennett, assistant professor, evolution, ecology and organismal biology; Jessica Winter, professor, chemical and biomolecular engineering and biomedical engineering; Matt Kleinhenz, professor, horticulture and crop science; Ankush Prashar, phenomics, Newcastle University
SWIdden agricultural food systems, Sustainability, and Health (SWISH): Exploring the relationship between human diets and tropical ecology among Maya communities in southern Belize, this project uses theory and methods from anthropology, landscape ecology and complexity science to identify “win-win” diet choices that are simultaneously healthy and environmentally sustainable. The project will develop a baseline human-centered food web that links Maya swidden diets to local community ecology and will estimate biodiversity and landscape fragmentation using methods from landscape ecology.
Researchers: Sean Downey, associate professor, anthropology; Rongjun Qin, assistant professor, civil, environmental and geodetic engineering and electrical and computer engineering; Barbara Piperata, professor, anthropology; Ciriyam Jayaprakash, professor, physics; Matthew Hamilton, assistant professor, environment and natural resources; Shane Scaggs, doctoral student, anthropology
Artificial metalloenzymes for sustainable H2 production in biological systems: In the face of declining fossil fuel reserves and the world’s ever-increasing demand for energy consumption, the need to develop alternative and economically viable energy sources has become imperative. This project aims to engineer a freshwater microalga for enhanced production of biohydrogen, a clean and renewable replacement fuel.
Researchers: Patrice Hamel, associate professor, molecular genetics; Hannah Shafaat, associate professor, chemistry and biochemistry; Alexander Dubini, biochemistry and physiology, University of Cordoba
Systemic interactions between individuals and drinking water quality in Appalachia: The project develops and derives insight from a systems model of drinking water quality in a region of rural Appalachia that has experienced significant water quality management challenges. Through meaningful, sustainable partnerships with and among local communities and organizations, the project will perform water quality assessments and interviews with individuals to assess barriers and leverage points relevant for reform of water system management. Results will inform Appalachians with co-produced knowledge of their water systems and guide strategic planning to address critical Appalachian water infrastructure needs.
Researchers: Natalie Hull, assistant professor, civil, environmental and geodetic engineering; Matthew Hamilton, assistant professor, environment and natural resources; Joe Campbell lecturer, environment and natural resources; Cassie Rosita Patterson, assistant director, Center for Folklore Studies; Jasper Waugh-Quasebarth, post-doctoral researcher, folklore studies; Santina Contreras, assistant professor, city and regional planning
Design of low-cost thermoelectric materials based on MXene/Carbon composites: To address the ever-increasing energy crisis and environmental concerns, thermoelectric materials have attracted much interest for their ability to directly convert heat into electricity. This research seeks to design and synthesize MXene/graphitized carbon-based low-cost thermoelectric materials, which can eventually be used to efficiently utilize low-temperature waste heat from the environment to generate electricity.
Researchers: Xiaoguang Wang, assistant professor, chemical and biomolecular engineering; Joseph Heremans, professor and Ohio Eminent Scholar, mechanical and aerospace engineering