Engineering Colleges Go Green

The national “green initiative” is changing the way universities are supporting innovation.

At the University of Pittsburgh, the Swanson School of Engineering has opened the new Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation.

According to the website, the Center is geared toward “excellence in sustainable engineering focusing on the design of sustainable neighborhoods.” It continues, the “goal is to create innovations that positively impact the environment and improve the quality of life.” Read an article about the Mascaro Center.

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In conjunction with an expansion project to the University of Portland’s engineering building, the university has implemented sun-sensory windows.

The expansion of Shiley Hall included “32 panels of a product called SageGlass along the lower level of the glass-walled lobby.” The panels use a process known as electrochromism to darken and keep out light and heat. Read article

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Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington say they can produce “intermediate-quality crude oil out of lignite.”

Lignite is one of the cheapest grades of coal, is in abundance directly beneath the earth’s surface, and could lead to oil that costs $35 a barrel.

The U.S. Department of Energy continues to fund the research, which will next build a microrefinery. In addition, there is little to no air pollution involved in the chemical conversion of lignite to fuel because the carbon dioxide is reused in the process.
Read the full article

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