Fostering Research Opportunities in Sustainable Technologies
Outcome/Accomplishment
In summer 2025 the NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Environmentally Applied Technology Hub (EARTH), headquartered at the University of Kansas, invited six undergraduate students to join the Fostering Research Opportunities in Sustainable Technologies (FROST) for more than a month at the University. There they participated in advanced research on aspects of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVACR). All six students wanted to continue their research after the end of the program and four of them submitted their results to nationally recognized conferences in sustainable and mechanical engineering.
Impact/Benefits
Most of the students had not had any past exposure to engineering work and were excited to learn about the different methodologies involved in engineering fields. They also participated in weekly sustainability roundtable discussions to broaden their perspective on what sustainability means in the context of HVACR and sustainable engineering.
Explanation/Background
The students conducted research on refrigerant flammability testing, computational modeling of dessicant wheels, ionic liquids, deep-eutectic solvents, and phase change materials (PCM) in sustainable building designs.
Location
Lawrence, KSwebsite
Start Year
Energy and Sustainability
Energy and Smart Infrastructure
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Outcome/Accomplishment
In summer 2025 the NSF-funded Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Environmentally Applied Technology Hub (EARTH), headquartered at the University of Kansas, invited six undergraduate students to join the Fostering Research Opportunities in Sustainable Technologies (FROST) for more than a month at the University. There they participated in advanced research on aspects of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVACR). All six students wanted to continue their research after the end of the program and four of them submitted their results to nationally recognized conferences in sustainable and mechanical engineering.
Location
Lawrence, KSwebsite
Start Year
Energy and Sustainability
Energy and Smart Infrastructure
Lead Institution
Core Partners
Fact Sheet
Impact/benefits
Most of the students had not had any past exposure to engineering work and were excited to learn about the different methodologies involved in engineering fields. They also participated in weekly sustainability roundtable discussions to broaden their perspective on what sustainability means in the context of HVACR and sustainable engineering.
Explanation/Background
The students conducted research on refrigerant flammability testing, computational modeling of dessicant wheels, ionic liquids, deep-eutectic solvents, and phase change materials (PCM) in sustainable building designs.