NSF focuses on sustainability funding
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SCIENCE POLICY tional platform where researchers could learn about the highly interdisciplinary nature of sustainable development, discuss best practices, and address various complex challenges related to sustainability. Green said that education is key in fostering sustainable development. “It would be appropriate for all human endeavors to be informed by the principles of sustainable development, since none of our planet’s resources are infinite,” he said. The SusChEM initiative has provided funds for a broad range of materials and sustainability projects. Alexandra Navrotsky, Distinguished Professor of Ceramic, Earth, and Environmental Materials Chemistry at the University of California–Davis, is working on a SusChEM project to better understand the thermodynamics of minerals containing rare earths. This research should provide fundamental data to guide the development of cheaper, more environmentally friendly methods for extracting rare earths from their ores. According to Navrotsky, the sustainability impacts of this research include “a more stable supply of rare earth elements for applications ranging from magnets in wind turbines to cell phones ... [and] more environmentally acceptable ways of mining and extraction of rare earths.” Yves Chabal, Materials Science and Engineering Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, is working on a SusChEM project with collaborators in France that focuses on modifying and controlling the interfaces of nanoenergetic materials—materials often used as ignition sources. According to Chabal, current ignition systems are expensive (due to materials scarcity) and rely on synthesis techniques that use or produce hazardous substances. Chabal’s research group is developing copperand aluminum-based substitutes that address sustainability in two ways—by eliminating the use and generation of hazardous substances during synthesis and by developing cheap, plentiful, and recyclable materials substitutes. “So, the impact is both on the environment and on addressing sustainability by avoiding depletion of materials that are limited in supply,” said Chabal.
NSF focuses on sustainability funding www.nsf.gov/eng/cbet/suschem
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long with the ever-changing landscape of technology comes a responsibility to develop sustainable practices and materials supplies. From finding substitutes for rare or toxic materials, to discovering new recycling and separation techniques, to developing ways to make manufacturing and other processes more safe and efficient—materials scientists play an important role in sustainability, environmental protection, and responsible stewardship of natural resources. To better address sustainability issues, the National Science Foundation (NSF) launched the Sustainable Chemistry, Engineering, and Materials (SusChEM) initiative in fiscal year 2013. Creation of the SusChEM initiative was partly driven by a legislative mandate within the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010. In addition, while NSF has historically supported sustainability-related research, the c
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