Planning Grant : Formation of a New MAST Center Site at New Jersey Institute of Technology

PROGRAM DIRECTOR'S RECOMMENDATION

IIP 0855798

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)

Sirkar

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is planning to join the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) entitled 'Membrane Applied Science and Technology' (MAST) which currently is a single university center. University of Colorado is currently the lead institute. Membranes offer the potential to dramatically decrease costs and energy consumption associated with gas and liquid separations in the petroleum, chemical, biochemical, food and water treatment industries.

A site at NJIT would bring new areas of expertise to the Center and significant complementary expertise in other areas in which the Colorado site has ongoing research. The MAST center has core capabilities in membrane formation, characterization and performance. The NJIT research site will strengthen these core areas as well as facilitate new research interactions and opportunities in membrane materials and areas of applications of current industrial interest.

The proposed site will lead to the education and training of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows for the membrane and related industries. The PI at the proposed site would also seek to incorporate the introduction to membranes and membrane separations as well as hands-on experimental membrane research activities in the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievements Program offered by NJIT to recruit underrepresented groups to science and engineering. Similar activities will be undertaken with high school students during the summer with the ACS Seed Program. Overall, the research and education activities of a NJIT MAST Center site will have a significant impact on the separation needs of a broad range of critical industries.