News Releases from Region 04

EPA Awards $69,183 Grant to Kennesaw State University Project to Reduce Aircraft Emissions

ATLANTA – (May 24, 2018) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga., with a $69,183 People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grant. The grant will be used to develop a method of replacing power cables in aircrafts with wireless power transfer systems that are lighter and reduce the weight of the plane, which could reduce fuel consumption and improve air quality.

“These students are applying what they have learned in the classroom to create innovative solutions to environmental challenges,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “These awards support the next generation of scientists and engineers in their commitment to environmental protection, while helping states, tribes, and local communities find solutions to their environmental issues.”

"These P3 students are tackling some of our most pressing and complex environmental issues,” said Regional Administrator Trey Glenn. "The innovative research funded today will help us better protect human health and the environment."

"It is an honor to receive the P3 Phase II grant from the EPA, which will allow more undergraduate students to participate in research activity where they can apply what they have learned in the classroom towards this challenging research project beyond the feasibility stage and further into implementation and commercialization stages,” said Kennesaw State University Assistant Professor Dept. of Electrical Engineering Hoseon Lee, PhD. “This comprehensive academic experience will help produce well-rounded, exceptional graduates, who can see the big picture, and understand the connection between classroom education, research, development, and business that aligns with the goals of the P3 program."

Nationally, EPA awarded more than $557,000 in funding for 8 student teams through the P3 Grants Program during Phase II. These teams, made up of college students from across the country, are developing sustainable technologies to solve current environmental and public health challenges.

Other P3 Phase II winners include:

• Montclair State University – Montclair, NJ
• Clarkson University – Potsdam, NY
• University of Cincinnati – Cincinnati, OH
• Texas Woman’s University – Denton, TX
• California State University, Chico – Chico, CA
• Butte College – Oroville, CA
• University of California, Riverside – Riverside, CA

Background

The P3 program is a two-phase research grants program that challenges students to research, develop, and design innovative projects addressing environmental and public health challenges. Phase I serves as a “proof of concept,” where teams are awarded a $15,000 grant to develop their idea and showcase their research in the spring at EPA's National Sustainable Design Expo. These teams are then eligible to compete for a Phase II grant of up to $75,000 to implement their design in a real-world setting.

Past P3 winners have gone on to start businesses based on ideas and products developed through their P3 project. For example, a 2007 P3 winning team from University of California Berkeley went on to create SimpleWater, a water treatment company that specializes in household water treatment systems. Another successful 2007 P3 team from the University of Virginia created the Learning Barge, as a part of the Elizabeth River Project.  The Learning Barge is the world’s first floating wetland classroom and America’s Greenest Vessel. It's a "steward ship," teaching children that live nearby about environmental stewardship and how to make the river swimmable and fishable by 2020.

To learn more about the projects of the 2018 P3 Phase II winners, visit: https://www.epa.gov/P3/20172018-p3-grant-recipients

For more information on the P3 Program, visit: http://www.epa.gov/P3

EPA P3 Phase II winners from Kennesaw State University