10th Annual P3 Grant Recipients

Phase I | Phase II

10th Annual Phase I Recipients: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet

Institution EPA Grant Number Project Title Project Description
Brigham Young University SU835522 Greenplex - A Sustainable Urban Form for the 21st Century Brigham Young University’s team is designing a city for the future called a “greenplex.”
Clemson University SU835496 Clemson Firefly Watch Program: Using a Mobile Phone App as Education and Research Tools for Sustainability Clemson University’s team is calling all citizen scientists to be a partner in community-based research about your environment.
Cornell University SU835507 Proposed Process for Management of Textile Waste from Redesigned Secondhand Clothing Production in Haiti: No-Waste, Recycling, and Repurposing Cornell University’s team for textile recycling in Haiti is designing a sustainable, zero-waste process for upcycling secondhand clothing in Haiti.
Cornell University SU835516 Sustainable Water Treatment Facility for Communities with Arsenic Contaminated Groundwater Cornell University’s AquaClara team offers kid-friendly demos of how to make water safe for drinking.
Cornell University

Johns Hopkins University		 SU835517 "Smart" Turbidimeters for Remote Monitoring of Water Quality Cornell University and Johns Hopkins University’s Water Quality team has designed a low-cost monitor for measuring water quality.
DePaul University SU835494 Community-based Soil Quality Assessment as a Tool for Designing an Urban Green Infrastructure Network to Manage Stormwater Runoff DePaul University’s team is working with high school students in Chicago to choose the best green infrastructure for their neighborhood.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University SU835493 Develop a Concentrated Solar Power-based Thermal Cooling System via Simulation and Experimental Studies Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s team demonstrates an innovative air conditioning system that runs on solar power.
Florida International University SU835503 On Track to Carbon Neutral Buildings Florida International University’s team is developing software and hardware tools to better predict solutions for achieving Carbon Neutral Buildings.
Iowa State University SU835524 Developing Sustainable Products Using Renewable Cellulose Fiber and Biopolymer Composites Iowa State University’s team is designing a new kind of fabric made with fibers from bacteria and yeast grown in tea and polymers (large molecules) of corn and soy.
Kansas State University SU835510 From Garbage to Gourmet: Sustainable Waste Prevention and Mushroom Cultivation from Used Coffee Grounds Kansas State University’s team is designing a project that demonstrates the benefits of composting versus landfilling campus waste.
Miami University - Oxford SU835509 Using Sand and Moringa Oleifera Protein for a Sustainable Water Filter Miami University Oxford’s team has designed an innovative home water filter for people who live in communities without access to clean water.
Mississippi State University SU835519 Innovative in-situ Microwave/Ultrasonic Reactor for Algal Biomass Harvesting and Biofuel Production Mississippi State University’s team is developing innovative methods for algal biomass harvesting and biodiesel production by using microwave and ultrasound irradiation techniques.
Missouri University of Science and Technology SU835520 A Climate-Responsive Adaptive Control for a Combination Passive Solar Shading and Natural Ventilation The Missouri University of Science & Technology team shows how to use the passive cooling techniques of solar shading and natural ventilation in combination with smart sensors to save you money this summer without lifting a finger.
Northern Arizona University SU835499 Evaluating and Designing Ultra-low Cost Solar Water Heating Systems Northern Arizona University’s team is exploring ways to harness the sun’s energy to power hot water heaters.
Northern Kentucky University SU835518 New Technologies for Rapid Water Quality and Bioassessment of Agricultural Streams by Citizen Scientists Northern Kentucky University’s team is harnessing mobile technology and the cloud to improve water quality.
Oklahoma State University SU835529 Improved Biosand Methodologies for Sustainable Clean Water Solutions in Northern Honduras Oklahoma State University’s team is researching ways to decrease costs of building water filters in the developing world.
Old Dominion University SU835501 Flash Hydrolysis of Microalgae for On-site Nutrients Recovery and Biofuels Production Old Dominion University’s team uses water solvent properties at high temperature and high pressure to divide algae into fertilizer and biofuels intermediate in a flash without use of any chemicals.
Oregon State University SU835527 Biosorption of Dyes from Textile Industry Effluents Using Macroalgae Oregon State University’s team is investigating ways to use microalgae, or seaweed, to remove dyes from textile industry effluents.
Purdue University SU835505 Biowall's Impact on Indoor Air Quality and Energy Purdue University's team is studying how to improve indoor air quality by installing plants in a home's HVAC system.
Rochester Institute of Technology SU835506 Implementing Practical Pico-Hydropower Rochester Institute of Technology’s Runoff team wants to know if rainwater has power potential.
Rochester Institute of Technology SU835514 Development of an Improved Arborloo to Promote Sanitation in Rural Environments Rochester Institute of Technology’s Waste team has designed a light-weight toilet for rural areas of developing countries.
Rowan University SU835526 Low Cost Portable Percussion Well Drill and Bailer Rowan University's team has built an innovative solution for improving access to water.
SUNY Stony Brook SU835532 Ocean Wave Energy Harvester with a Novel Power Takeoff Mechanism SUNY Stony Brook’s team has designed and built Poseidon, an ocean energy harvester that infinitely converts wave motion into electrical energy.
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville SU835531 Drinking Water System for Developing Countries/Disaster Relief Made with Local Materials University of Arkansas Fayetteville’s team has designed a water treatment system for rural communities in the developing world that is easy to assemble and operate.
University of California, Davis SU835498 Small-scale Ecosystem Engineering: Development of Household Level Greywater Treatment Systems University of California, Davis's team is exploring water reuse potentials for underprivileged communities.
University of California, Riverside SU835500 Exploring a Proof of Concept in Ocean Current Energy Extraction University of California Riverside’s Ocean Energy team knows surfing and sailing in the ocean aren’t the only things that can light up your day.
University of California, Riverside SU835533 Test Protocol for Evaluating Smog Reducing Roof Tiles University of California Riverside’s Clean Air team wants to know if so called “smog eating roof tiles” really work.
University of Delaware SU835511 Environmentally Friendly Leather Tanning Using Enzymes University of Delaware’s team has designed a new, green chemical for leather tanning.
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign SU835515 Improved Biosand Filters by Enhanced Monitoring and Data Collection Methods University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's team has designed an affordable dissolved oxygen sensor for monitoring biosand filters from any location.
University of Kansas, Lawrence SU835497 Biostabilization of Rammed Earth for Reduction of Waste and CO2 Emissions University of Kansas’ team is exploring the use of microbes to strengthen soil used for earthen architecture.
University of Maryland SU835528 Solar-Powered Membrane System for Emergency Drinking Water Supply University of Maryland’s team is developing, testing and studying a novel membrane separation system that holds great promise as the next-generation, highly sustainable water purification technology for emergency and/or household drinking water supply.
University of Massachusetts, Lowell SU835535 Sustainable Packaging Solutions Based on Biodegradable Plastics University of Massachusetts, Lowell’s team has developed a biodegradable coating that improves barrier properties of biodegradable plastics.
University of Nebraska, Lincoln SU835523 Energy Node Locator Platform Development: Using Real-Time Monitoring to Conserve Energy University of Nebraska at Lincoln’s team is demonstrating the Energy Node Locater—a system that remotely tracks and locates where electricity is being used in real-time.
University of Rhode Island SU835525 Sustainable Sanitation Strategies for Peri-Urban and Rural Developing Communities University of Rhode Island’s team is designing a sanitation system for San Mateo Ixtatán, a small town of about 10,000 in the mountains of Guatemala that dates back to the pre-Columbian era.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville SU835495 Green Oak as a Sustainable Building Material University of Tennessee Knoxville’s green building team is exploring ways to use green oak or “heart centers,” the low quality part of hardwood logs, in U.S. building construction.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville SU835534 Eco-friendly Additives for Biodegradation of Agricultural Mulches University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s green materials team is developing soil additives that can trigger the microbial degradation of eco-friendly plastic agricultural mulches.
University of Wisconsin SU835512 Exchange Network for Expanded Polystyrene Bio-Shipping Containers  University of Wisconsin-Madison’s team has implemented a campus recycling program for Styrofoam packaging.
University of Wisconsin SU835513 Sustainable Wastewater Treatment: Nutrient Upcycling of Ammonia into Fertilizer University of Wisconsin-Madison’s team recovers wastewater by-products and upcycles them into high value fertilizers, sustainably harvested and distributed locally.
Western Kentucky University SU835504 Highly Insulated Glazing Systems Using Liquid Fills Western Kentucky University’s team is exploring a new type of liquid glaze for greener windows.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute SU835508 Rain or Shine: Rainwater Harvesting Systems for Dependable, Safe Drinking Water in Rural Guatemala Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s team has designed and installed a rainwater harvesting system in Guatemala that collects water and safely stores it for the dry season.

10th Annual Phase II Recipients: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet

Institution EPA Grant Number Project Title Project Description
Cornell University SU835544 Stacked Rapid Sand Filtration - A Robust Filtration Process for Sustainable Drinking Water Infrastructure The Cornell University team will continue to improve the design and fabrication of the AguaClara stacked rapid sand filters (SRSF) and to deploy and test SRSF at a variety of flow rates on at least two continents.
Cornell University
University of California - Irvine		 SU835548 Pyrolytic Cook Stoves And Biochar Production In Kenya: A Whole Systems Approach to Sustainable Energy, Environmental Health, and Human Prosperity The Cornell University team will improve human welfare and environmental health by 1) reducing air pollution from cook stoves, 2) conserving natural resources, 3) reducing erosion and water contamination, and 4) building local capacity in Western Kenya. We will employ a whole systems approach, using an improved pyrolytic cook stove as the intervention tool.
Georgia Southern University SU835542 Low Temperature Combustion with Reduced PM and NOx Emissions, Achieved by n-Butanol in-Port Injected in an Omnivorous Diesel Engine The Georgia Southern University team will develop a new engine technology able to reduce drastically and concomitantly the engine NOx and soot by the n-butanol port-fuel injection (PFI) or direct injection of butanol blends coupled with the direct injection of cotton seed biodiesel.
Loyola University of Chicago SU835546 From Pollution to Possibility: A Sustainable and Interdisciplinary Solution to Biodiesel Production Wastewater The Loyola University team will design a small-scale, affordable, and effective, solar-powered methanol recovery unit and build several prototypes, with the goal of launching a 0-waste, biodiesel production and waste-management system in year 2.
Radford University  SU835545 Lessons from Nature - Synthetic Humic Acid Materials for Improved Water Purification The Radford University team will focus on the development of an inexpensive, multi-functional adsorbent material that will improve existing sand filtration technology to better remove a wide range of water pollutants including arsenic, other heavy metals, and organic contaminants.
San Jose State University SU835547 3D Printing Sustainable Building Components for Façades and as Window Elements The San Jose State University team will develop curtain wall and free standing wall systems using additive manufacturing technologies and wood-based materials.
University of Massachusetts - Lowell SU835549 ‘Greener’ Surfactants from Bio-Based Waste as Efficient Alternatives to Nonylphenols Ethoxylates The University of Massachusetts team has developed a new class of polysaccharide-based surfactants that has significant potential for replacing NPEs.

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Last updated on May 9, 2024