Boston University
AC-9: Academic Research

Please see the attached inventory.

The sustainability research inventory was developed through a list provided by the Office of Sponsored Programs. For the purposes of reporting to STARS, only funded research from FY13, FY14 and FY15 is included. One sustainability@BU intern identified the sustainability related projects by title and research content.

Professor Bruce Anderson of the BU Department of Earth and Environment joined the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future as a Faculty Research Fellow in September 2014. The Pardee Center holds symposia and conducts research intended to contribute to the long-term well being of people around the world. Professor Anderson will work with Pardee Center Director Anthony Janetos to understand and evaluate the social and economic impacts of climate variations and develop models to assist in navigating through these impacts. This research will identify sectors and regions that are most vulnerable, as well as provide guidance on the development of proper planning and management policies for these areas. Professor Mark Grinstaff of the BU Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering was recently awarded an National Science Foundation Career grant titled "Environmentally Friendly Microfiber Polycarbonate Meshes for Continuous Oil Retrieval” for 2014 - 2017 (est.). The Grinstaff Group will prepare and explore an environmentally friendly, biodegradable oil absorbing sponge for enhanced oil recovery after an oil spill. To do so, they will synthesize different polymer-based materials and characterize them in terms of their mechanical and oil-absorbing properties and their biodegradability. Research performed by Earth & Environment PhD candidate Conor Gately, Associate Professor Lucy Hutyra, and Associate Professor Ian Sue Wing published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal in April 2015 was recently featured in the Scientific American. The research, titled "“Cities, traffic, and CO2: A multidecadal assessment of trends, drivers, and scaling relationships” found that cities and their commuting population emit a large percentage of on-road CO2 emissions. Furthermore, a new emissions inventory was developed; the Database of Road Transportation Emissions (DARTE) estimates CO2 emitted by US road transport at a resolution of 1 km annually for 1980–2012.

http://www.bu.edu/pardee/2014/09/05/bruce-anderson-joins-pardee-center-as-faculty-research-fellow/ http://www.bu.edu/chemistry/2014/07/30/grinstaff-nsf-suschem-award/ http://www.bu.edu/earth/2015/04/07/conor-gately-lucy-hutyra-and-ian-sue-wing-publish-paper-in-pnas/