UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A diverse team of judges has recognized an interdisciplinary team of graduate students as the grand prize winner of $10,000 in the Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Award (SISCA) at Penn State. Abhishek Kar (chemical engineering), Yuxi Meng (energy management and policy), Rajarshi Guha (chemical engineering) and Hasin Feroz (chemical engineering), developed a solution titled “Sustainable Desalination and Water Recycling Using Chemical Micropumps in Membrane Systems.” The faculty adviser for the team was Manish Kumar, assistant professor of chemical engineering, and Darrell Velegol, distinguished professor of chemical engineering.
The Dow SISCA contest recognizes and rewards students and universities for their innovation and research of sustainable solutions to the world's most pressing social, economic and environmental problems. The program, administered by Penn State's Sustainability Institute, is designed to promote forward thinking in social and environmental responsibility, and acknowledges the energy, commitment and enthusiasm of students and their professors who support their innovations.
“This contest brings people together with various scientific and technical skills and fosters an environment of change,” said Abhishek Kar, a member of the grand prize winning team.
“The way of thinking and communicating with people from different fields is outstanding,” said Yuxi Meng, grand prize team member. “The interdisciplinary cooperation experiences in the contest are a treasure that would be difficult to gain from anywhere else.”