EPA Awards Research Grants to 21 Student Teams to Develop Innovative Solutions to Environmental and Public Health Challenges

WASHINGTON (Aug. 1, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $523,796 in funding to 21 student teams for their research and innovative solutions to address environmental and public health challenges as part of the Agency’s People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Program.

“EPA’s P3 program, now in its twentieth year, is an exciting and unique program that recognizes the power of students to translate imagination and science into new solutions that protect human health and the environment,” said Chris Frey, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “Congratulations to this year’s teams. Their innovative projects tackle critical environmental issues and include an eco-friendly coating to reduce contamination in marine environments, a device to remove microplastics from stormwater, an air monitoring and filtration technology to reduce student exposures to air pollutants, and more.”

The 21 Phase I recipients announced today will receive grants of up to $25,000 each to help them develop their proof of concept and will be eligible to compete for a Phase II grant of up to $100,000 to further implement their designs.

Teams from the following institutions are receiving funding for the 19th Annual P3 Phase I awards:

• Clarkson University, Potsdam, N.Y., for Feasibility of On-farm Microalgal Cultivation for Dairy Feed Supplement Through Integration of Anaerobic Digestion of Farm Waste
• Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colo., for PCR-Free Environmental Waterborne Bacteria Detection Using Raman Spectroscopy and Deep Learning
• Hamline University, St. Paul, Minn., for Enhanced Detection of Lead Ions in Drinking Water Using Bismuth Nanoparticles
• Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., for Enhanced Detection and Removal of GenX from Water Supplies
• New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J., for Scalable 2D Semiconductor-based Field-effect Transistors for Rapid and Efficient Detection of Lead Ions
• North Dakota State University, Fargo, N.D., for Three-way Removal of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances from High-strength Landfill Leachate Utilizing Simultaneous Foaming and Humic Acid Precipitation During pH Adjustment
• Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., for Implementation of Cost-effective Techniques for the Monitoring and Reduction of Indoor Air Pollutant Exposures in Classroom Environments Through a Service-learning Framework
• Rice University, Houston, Texas, for Chemical-free UV Unit That Degrades PFAS in Landfill Leachate Using Non-toxic Boron Nitride
• Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y., for Implementation of an Industrial Scale Larvae Bioreactor
• Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill., for Physicochemical Degradation of Microplastics
• Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y., for Developing Low-cost Sensor Unit for High-frequency Water Quality Monitoring in Non-navigational Rivers
• University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala., for Modeling Outdoor Comfort With UAV-based Digitization Technique and a Comfort Tracking System for Underserved Communities
• University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala., for Urban Water Pollution Extent and Impact on the Village Creek in Birmingham, AL – Analysis and Mitigation Strategies
• University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala., for Predicting and Equipping Private Well Owners at Risk of Microbial Contamination After Flooding Events
• University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., for Rapid and Simple MC-LR Check to Monitor Blooms for Early Action
• University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, Md., for Natural Approach in Antifouling Protection: Remedy for Safer Water for Fisherman, Boaters, and Cargo Ships
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nev., for Optimized Biochar/Hydrochar for Disinfection Byproduct Removal in Water
• University of North Carolina Asheville, Asheville, N.C., for Mapping Air Pollution Disparities Using Low-cost Particulate Sensors
• University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tenn., for Microplastics Sampling for Stormwater Management
• University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, for MINTS: Multi-scale Intelligent Sensing
• University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo., for Recreator Crowdsourcing of Particle Levels During Wildfires