With the recent announcement of a new laboratory for researchers, the College of Engineering honored its recent commitment to expand its facilities.
On Jan. 15, the Geismar branch of the BASF Corporation donated $1 million to the College of Engineering for the development of a the BASF Sustainability Laboratory. On its website, BASF, a chemical corporation, said the lab will be the first sustainability lab established at both the University and in the Southeast.
According to an email from Jolen Stein, community relations manager at BASF, the company has a sizeable stake in the development of young engineers, and the lab will be integral to educating a new generation of sustainability-minded scientists.
“The lab space will encourage innovation, problem-solving, collaboration and teamwork — all skills that are highly desirable to BASF and other global companies when hiring engineers,” Stein said in the email.
Heather Herman, director of strategic partnerships at the College of Engineering, confirmed in an email the lab will be equipped with the most current research technology, including continual lines for common gases, high pressure pumps and protective ventilation hoods. These tools are all essential to the development of sustainable technologies, Herman said.
She said faculty will use web cams, large display monitors and a high-speed Internet connection to work on joint projects with other researchers.
Herman also said the lab would operate according to a lend-lease program, which is unique to the University. In most labs, a single research team is assigned a space, and they conduct their research in that space indefinitely.
“Researchers in the BASF lab may use it for a given period of time to advance his or her particular area of research involving sustainable practices, and the lab will open up for another researcher when it’s complete,” Herman said.
When the research project concludes, the lab will be open for another researcher’s use. This approach will allow for continual innovation.
In the email, Herman said the College of Engineering would assess research proposals with representatives from BASF based on the following criteria: innovation, relevance, deliverability, community impact, incorporation of BASF products and how well they address relevant sustainability problems with a novel approach.
Once a project is approved, researchers will be given a time frame during which they must establish a plan to involve the local community in their research.
The college has not approved any particular faculty member regarding use of the lab, but Herman cited the research of Marwa Hassan, assistant professor in the Department of Construction Management, as a project that would be ideal for it. Hassan has developed a surface treatment that removes harmful nitrous emissions from the air and transfers them into the pavement.
Herman also said the state made a one-to-one match agreement with the college, meaning the state will give the college a dollar for every dollar that it receives from private entities.
No definite timeline has been established for the lab’s construction, but according to Herman, it will be housed under the new Chemical Engineering Addition to Patrick F. Taylor Hall. Stein said more information about the building would be released in the fall, and its development will be a joint effort between BASF and the College of Engineering.
“The lab space will encourage innovation, problem-solving, collaboration and team work – all skills that are highly desirable to BASF and other global companies when hiring engineers.”