News Releases from Region 04

EPA Awards Grant to Mercer University for Innovative Technology Projects

ATLANTA – (March 22, 2018) Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Mercer University in Macon, Ga. a $14,986 People, Prosperity, and Planet (P3) grant. Nationally, EPA awarded more than $463,000 in funding to 31 such teams through the P3 grant Program. These teams, made up of college students from across the country, are developing sustainable technologies to solve current environmental and public health challenges.

“This year’s P3 teams are applying their classroom learning to create valuable, cutting-edge technologies,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “This next generation of scientists is designing sustainable solutions that will help protect public health and the environment and ensure America continues to lead the world in innovation and science for decades to come.”

Funding for the P3 competition is divided into two phases. Teams selected for Phase I awards receive grants of up to $15,000 to fund the proof of concept for their projects, which are then showcased at the National Sustainable Design Expo. The 2018 Expo is scheduled to be held at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, DC, April 7-8. Phase I teams are eligible to compete for Phase II awards of up to $75,000 to further develop and implement their designs. 

“This grant will allow the Mercer student teams to apply their classroom experiences, and to develop innovative solutions to improve their communities and the environment,” said Regional Administrator Trey Glenn.

“We are very excited that the proposal submitted by Mercer students Victoria Rexhausen, Jin Kim, Stevie Watson and Simran Khoja to expand our field-scale research on the treatment of residential gray water for sub-surface landscape irrigation was selected for funding,” said Dr. Philip McCreanor, Professor of Environmental Engineering and Director of the Engineering Honors Program.

To learn more about the projects of the 2017 Phase I winners, visit: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipients.display/rfa_id/632/records_per_page/ALL

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