ERC Earth Announcements

Nature Names Sustainable Cooling a Key Technology to Watch in 2025

The journal Nature has identified sustainable urban cooling – including UMD’s research on eco-friendly solid-state cooling – as one of seven technologies to watch in 2025.

The journal reports that rising global temperatures are leading to a growing demand for air conditioning, which “means more electricity will be consumed, and release of hydrofluorocarbon coolants — a potent class of greenhouse gases — will increase.”…

Self-driving laboratories, advanced immunotherapies and five more technologies to watch in 2025

From sustainable architecture, cancer therapies and bioremediation to photonic computing, here are seven technologies that Nature will be keeping its eye on this year.

‘Self-driving’ laboratories
Last year, an international team announced a raft of promising materials for use in organic solid-state lasers1. That’s an important step towards lower-cost, energy-efficient electronics — and much of the work was performed by a…

Discovery of water droplet freezing steps bridges atmospheric science, climate solutions

A groundbreaking University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa study on the freezing of water droplets suspended in air sheds light on a key process in Earth’s water cycle: the transformation of supercooled water into ice.

Conducted using a novel cryogenically cooled ultrasonic levitation chamber, the research captures real-time molecular-level changes during the freezing process, mimicking conditions in the Earth’s atmosphere. This innovative…

PhD student leads student engagement in $26M refrigerant initiative

As part of a groundbreaking national initiative to create sustainable refrigerants, a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student is taking the lead on integrating cultural and diverse perspectives into climate change solutions.

Lehigh University is a Core Institution of New $26 Million NSF Engineering Research Center

Lehigh is one of six core institutions of a new U.S. National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center focusing on developing sustainable refrigerants to address climate change. Lehigh’s team is led by David Vicic, the Howard S. Bunn Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.

USD is Part of 26 Million Engineering Research Center to Develop Sustainable Refrigerants

The NSF awarded six institutions a total of $26 million to establish a Gen-4 Engineering Research Center (ERC) – Environmental Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH) – to create a sustainable and circular refrigerant economy. The NSF ERCs bring universities and businesses together to strengthen the competitive position of American industry in the global marketplace. The EARTH project includes USD, University of Kansas (lead institution),…

$26M grant fuels UH research on climate-friendly cooling

A team from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is tackling an important cause of human-made climate change—common refrigerants used for everything from cooling homes and businesses to freezing and preserving food and medicine. The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced on August 21 that UH and five other universities have been awarded $26 million to establish a fourth generation (Gen-4) NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) to create…

UH Manoa joins $26 Million NSF project to find climate-friendly cooling

HONOLULU (KHON2) — A team from the University of Hawaii at Manoa is diving into a major climate challenge—rethink­ing the refrigerants used in everything from air conditioning to food preservation.

Maryland Engineering and Partners Win $26M to Develop Better HVACR Systems and Fight Climate Change

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded six engineering schools, including the University of Maryland’s (UMD) A. James Clark School of Engineering, $26 million to establish a new Gen-4 Engineering Research Center (ERC) focused on reining in the environmental costs of refrigeration technologies. ERCs are among the significant and competitive awards from the NSF.

Notre Dame to develop next-generation refrigerant technology as part of a new National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center

The University of Notre Dame is part of a new National Science Foundation (NSF) Gen-4 Engineering Research Center (ERC) called EARTH, which stands for Environmental Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub. Led by the University of Kansas, EARTH will bring together 80 institutions and researchers from a wide array of disciplines. In addition to Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, the University of Hawai'i, the University of South Dakota and…

Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH) Overview

The University of Kansas is the lead institution for a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Gen-4 Engineering Research Center (ERC) — Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH) — that will focus on developing sustainable refrigerants to address climate change. EARTH is led by Foundation Distinguished Professor Mark Shiflett in the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering at the KU School of Engineering.

University of Kansas awarded $26 million for new Engineering Research Center from National Science Foundation

LAWRENCE — The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the University of Kansas $26 million to establish a new Gen-4 Engineering Research Center (ERC) — Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH) — that will create a sustainable and circular refrigerant economy.

NSF announces 4 new Engineering Research Centers focused on biotechnology, manufacturing, robotics and sustainability

Engineering innovations transform our lives and energize the economy. The U.S. National Science Foundation announces a five-year investment of $104 million, with a potential 10-year investment of up to $208 million, in four new NSF Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) to create technology-powered solutions that benefit the nation for decades to come.