Students Win EPA Grant for Research into Fuels

Front row (L-R): Clarkson students
Erica Gonyo, Anirban Ghosh, and
Hope Matis. Back row (L-R): Clarkson
faculty members Alan Rossner,
Andrea Ferro, Susan Powers,
student Matthew Williams, and
faculty member Roshan Jachuck.

Four Clarkson science and engineering students have received a $10,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to study biodiesel as an alternative to petroleum diesel in school buses during the 2005-06 school year. The students' proposal "Biodiesel as a Sustainable Alternative to Petroleum Diesel in School Buses" was a winner of the EPA's P3 Award Program.

The students are Environmental Science and Policy major Anirban Ghosh '07; Industrial Hygiene major Erica A. Gonyo '06; Chemical Engineering major Hope Matis '07; and Biology major Matthew R. Williams '07.

P3 is a public/private sector partnership dedicated to achieving economic prosperity while protecting the natural systems of the planet and providing a higher quality of life. The partnership provides grants to teams of college students to research, develop and design sustainable solutions to environmental challenges.

"Diesel exhaust is potentially harmful to human health, yet few people have studied children's exposure to these emissions," says Andrea Ferro, assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and one of the group's advisors.

"The Clarkson team will examine the use of biodiesel as an alternative replacement fuel for school buses operating in the rural, cold climate of northern New York. As part of the project, biodiesel and diesel emission concentrations will be monitored onboard and near school buses at a local school. From the data collected, the team hopes to be able to provide information on the range of children's exposure to diesel and biodiesel emissions."

"The study has other potentially rewarding benefits," adds Ferro. "With our current dependence on diminishing oil resources, businesses are looking for ways to find a renewable, cost-effective fuel."

Other team advisors include Alan Rossner, assistant professor of Biology and Industrial Hygiene; Susan Powers, associate dean of Research and Graduate Studies in the Coulter School of Engineering and professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and Roshan Jachuck, professor of Chemical Engineering. Approximately 30 additional Clarkson students have joined the research project team this fall. Next spring, the Clarkson students will join other award-winners in Washington, D.C., where the teams will present their research findings before a panel of judges from the National Academies of Science and Engineering. Winning teams will receive further funding for design development and implementation.