Rutgers receives $7.65M in federal grants to study clean energy

Three federal grants totaling $7.65 million have been awarded to the university to fund graduate research in clean and sustainable energy and continue other research projects previously funded by the National Science Foundation.

The energy research grants are funded under the National Science Foundation's five-year Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program, which supports students pursuing doctorates in fields that cross academic disciplines and have broad societal impact. Rutgers will collaborate with Princeton University to apply nanotechnology to clean energy generation and storage and conduct an educational exchange program between the U.S. and Africa. The grant is valued at up to $3.2 million over five years. Materials science and engineering Professor Manish Chhowalla said nanotechnology can help boost the efficiency of solar cells, hydrogen fuel cells and batteries so they can provide enough clean energy for transportation, industries and homes. Graduate students supported by Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship fellowships will study policy and economic issues related to clean energy development through the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton.

Rutgers also will focus on replacing environmentally harmful fossil fuels with renewable and affordable fuels, in collaboration with universities in the United States, Brazil, China and South Africa.

The grant is valued at up to $3.2 million over five years. The third grant, for $1.25 million, will help Rutgers expand existing graduate programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and fund the new Graduate Innovation and Integration Center, which will provide summer research opportunities for undergraduates and recruit and mentor students from diverse backgrounds.