The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Sustainability Committee has awarded three $2,500 grants for innovative research and teaching proposals at UALR geared toward the development and promotion of the principles of sustainability.

Dr. Michael DeAngelis, assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, won a grant for his project, “Using Nanoscale Synthetic Olivine to Capture and Store Excess Carbon.”

“I am very thankful to the UALR Sustainability Committee for selecting my proposal to fund,” DeAngelis said. “While I personally believe that this research is valuable to society and to the goals of sustainability. It is nice to have the committee members, who are outside of my area of research, provide some affirmation of the importance of this work.”

He will use his grant money to purchase equipment and chemicals for his laboratory and to hire a student lab assistant, who he hopes will continue the work as an undergraduate research project in the fall.

Dr. Wei Zhao, a professor of chemistry, and Dr. Tar-Pin Chen, a professor of physics, received a grant for their project, “Solar Energy-Assisted Water Splitting for Green Fuel Hydrogen Production.”

The third grant went to Karthik Boregowda, a master’s student in the Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering, for his project, “Strength Characteristic Analysis of Aerated Cellular Concrete with Quarry Dust as Fine Aggregate.”

The grant funds can be used for travel, educational materials, equipment purchases, field trips, and guest speakers.

The Sustainability Committee promotes healthy environments, economies, and societies, starting with the UALR campus.