 "CARD will be devoted to research in drying moist, porous materials,
such as food and other agricultural products; forestry and paper
products; chemical products; textiles; and biopharmaceuticals," said
Hao Feng, a U of I professor of food science and human nutrition and
the Illinois site director.According to Feng, the main focus of
the research will be to develop products, processes, designs and
strategies to reduce energy usage and cost in these energy-intensive
industries. Added benefits include improvements in product quality
and enhancement of sustainable practices.
"In other words, CARD will help companies reduce their carbon
footprint," he said.
The grant was funded under NSF’s Industry/University Cooperative
Research Center program. The centers are developed to encourage
collaboration between companies and universities in the development
of novel processes and methods to solve grand challenges confronting
our nation, said Irfan Ahmad, co-principal investigator of CARD and
executive director of the U of I Center for Nanoscale Science and
Technology.
"NSF provides seed funding to establish the center, and companies
provide broader funding for industrially driven research projects.
These projects are prioritized by an industry advisory board
comprising the member companies, and results are shared with all
members," Ahmad added.
Jamal Yagoobi of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Department
of Mechanical Engineering will be the lead principal investigator
and project director for the research center; Cosme Furlong-Vazquez
will be the site co-director at Worcester Polytechnic; and Hao Feng
will be the site director at Illinois.
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As the lead site for the program, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
will host the initial meeting with both company and National Science
Foundation representatives on Aug. 13-14. Faculty from the U of I
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and the
U of I College of Engineering will participate. There will be two
industry advisory board meetings each year.
Interested scientists and industry representatives are encouraged
to register for the Aug. 13-14 meeting at
http://www.dryingresearch.org/.
"We look forward to building a great center that provides
significant energy savings, improved product quality and enhanced
sustainability for member companies," Yagoobi said.
To learn more about the program or register for the August
meeting, contact any of the following leaders for the Center for
Advanced Research in Drying: Jamal Yagoobi, principal investigator
and project director, jyagoobi@wpi.edu, 508-831-5759; Hao Feng, U of
I site director, haofeng@illinois.edu, 217-244-2571; Mark Lippi,
program coordinator, mlippi@illinois.edu, 217-300-2151; Cosme
Vasquez-Furlong, Worcester Polytechnic co-site director,
cfurlong@wpi.edu,
508-831-5126, and Irfan Ahmad, co-principal investigator and
innovation director, isahmad@illinois.edu, 217-333-2015.
[Text from file received from the
University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and
Environmental Sciences]
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