Syracuse University

Researchers at four member institutions of the Syracuse Center of Excellence (SyracuseCoE)
will begin innovative projects to help improve the air quality of buildings and communities and
protect water resources, thanks to $1.4 million in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.
EPA) grants announced today at Syracuse University by Rep. Dan Maffei (NY-25).

The Collaborative Activities for Research and Technology Innovation (CARTI) grants are
awarded to nine projects aimed at investigating the role static electricity plays in indoor air
quality; particulate matter in the Syracuse airshed; an air filter that utilizes plant microbes; the
impact of daylighting on decision-making; whether certain common air particles damage the
lungs; innovative real-time water quality sensors; water sensors that utilize holographic and
quantum properties of hydrogels; and the role a stream's subsurface plays in stream restoration.

This fourth round of CARTI awards is made possible through funding from the U.S. EPA. Rep.
Maffei, like local congressional representatives over the past decade, was instrumental in
securing the funds that have made the CARTI research program a success.

"The spirit of collaboration and innovation is alive and well at SyracuseCoE and across our
institutions of higher learning in Central Upstate New York," says Maffei. "I am pleased to
announce today that more than $1.4 million in federal funding is coming to these very
worthwhile research and development projects. This research not only brings brilliant minds
together to further improvements in environmental studies, it brings economic benefits to our
region. I applaud and thank all the recipients and schools."

"SyracuseCoE appreciates that securing funds for the CARTI program has been such a high
priority for Congressman Maffei, as it was for our past local congressional representatives," says
Ed Bogucz, executive director of the SyracuseCoE. "Air quality and water resources research by
Central Upstate scientists is a cornerstone of SyracuseCoE's mission, and it is strengthening this
region's reputation as a leader in discovering sustainable solutions to pressing global challenges
in human and natural environments."

The project investigators, their institutions, and the titles of the funded projects are listed
below. Full project descriptions can be found on the SyracuseCoE website
(http://www.syracusecoe.org/CARTI).

• Andrea Ferro of Clarkson University: $100,000 for the "Investigation of electrostatic
  forces caused by walking on the floor and its effect on particle resuspension in an indoor
  environment";
  

  
  

• John Hassett of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry: $298,890 for
  the "Real-time sensing and time-resolved sampling of organic chemicals in Onondaga Lake";
  

  
  

• Philip Hopke of Clarkson University: $90,369 to study the "characterization of coarse
  particles in Syracuse, N.Y.";
  

  
  

• Yan-Yeung Luk of Syracuse University: $100,000 to study "Integrated sensing mechanisms
  based on holographic diffraction and quantum confinement in protein-laden hydrogel";
  

  
  

• Kathleen McGrath of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry: $100,000
  to study "Life Down Under: The forgotten hyporheic zone in stream restoration and
  development of a bioindicator of subsurface recovery";
  

  
  

• Temitope Ojo of Clarkson University: $215,589 to take "water quality measurements
  using a novel buoyancy controlled drifting sensor platform";
  

  
  

• Dacheng Ren of Syracuse University: $100,000 for the "analysis and optimization of a
  novel regenerative bio-filter system for enhanced volatile organic compound removal from
  indoor environments";
  

  
  

• Usha Satish of SUNY Upstate Medical University: $299,011 to study the "impacts of
  daylighting on human decision making and productivity"; and
  

  
  

• Lawrence Tavlarides of Syracuse University: $100,000 to study "reactive oxygen species in
  particulate matter: formation, elimination, and in vitro assessment of relative toxic effects."
  

"These CARTI grant recipients vividly illustrate Scholarship in Action," says SU Chancellor and
President Nancy Cantor. "The winning teams are true collaborators, and their award-winning
work is helping solve real problems confronting our community and all communities around the
globe-public health threats from air and water pollution. The CARTI award winners' work
will have a powerful impact on our regional economy, and we are extremely grateful to
Congressman Maffei for support and commitment to SyracuseCoE members and innovators."

"We thank Congressman Dan Maffei and the SyracuseCoE for the support of the research of
Dr. John Hassett and Dr. Kathleen McGrath," says Cornelius B. Murphy, president of the SUNY
College of Environmental Science and Foresty. "The CARTI grants awarded to our faculty will
help improve the quality of Onondaga Lake and our streams in Central New York. The water
resources of Central Upstate New York are one of our most important assets. These grants
will help improve our quality of life."

"With critical support from our elected representatives and organizations such as the U.S. EPA,
the development of innovative solutions to address the world's most pressing issues in water
and air quality is happening right here in Central Upstate New York," says Clarkson University
President Anthony G. Collins. "As a result of the collaboration among our research universities
and industry partners across the region, the world is watching us succeed at coupling discovery
and engineering innovation with enterprise that not only drives economic development in our
own backyard but also delivers public good through stewardship of clean air and water across
the globe."

"This grant program further illustrates the powerful economic engine that research and higher
education continue to be for this region," says SUNY Upstate Medical University President
David R. Smith. "In total, these projects aim to enhance the human condition, how we live and
work, and ultimately build a healthier future for us all. In many ways, they reflect the central
mission of Upstate Medical University: to improve the health of the communities we serve. For
this opportunity, we thank Congressman Maffei for his support of this valuable program."

An independent Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) of nine nationally recognized researchers
from the academic, research and scientific communities recommended the projects for CARTI
awards following a rigorous process used by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. EPA
for competitively awarded projects.

The air quality SAC team is headed by Barry Ryan of Emory University, a leading expert on
environmental effects on humans in urban settings. The water quality SAC team is led by Denice
Wardrop of Pennsylvania State University, a noted researcher and associate director of the
Cooperative Wetlands Center.

In a two-step process, members of the SAC reviewed preliminary proposals submitted by 32
teams. Of these, 23 teams were invited to submit full proposals. After review and
recommendations by the SAC, nine full proposals were selected by SyracuseCoE for funding.

The Syracuse Center of Excellence (http://syracusecoe.org) is a federation of more than 200 businesses and
institutions that collaborate on sustainable innovations to improve built and urban environments.
SyracuseCoE partners work on research, development and educational projects relating to clean and
renewable energy, indoor environmental quality and water resources. In September, SyracuseCoE will
host Healthy Buildings 2009 (http://hb2009.org), a premier international conference focused on green
technologies for buildings and communities.