- SIU students among 23 teams worldwide to get XPRIZE funds to keep carbon in the ground
November 10, 2021
SIU students among 23 teams worldwide to get XPRIZE funds to keep carbon in the ground
by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. — A team of two Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate students and a faculty member are among only 23 teams in the world to win the XPRIZE Carbon Removal challenge funded by Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation, officials announced today.
Jennifer Pierce, Tia Zimmerman, and Scott Hamilton-Brehm, assistant professor of microbiology, are working on a system that would liquefy everyday waste biomass – everything from grass clippings to scrap vegetables – for injection into underground voids, such as empty oil reservoirs. Once underground, their plan calls for hungry microbes to consume the carbon-rich liquid and sequester it, preventing it from re-entering the atmosphere where it could contribute to climate change.
The SIU team, “Carbon Down Under,” and the 22 other winning teams – all of them led by students – were announced today at the COP26 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Scotland. XPRIZE Carbon Removal is aimed at finding working technologies to fight climate change and rebalance Earth’s climate cycle. The $100 million contest is the largest incentive prize in history.
Read the full story at https://news.siu.edu/2021/11/111021-SIU-students-among-23-teams-worldwide-to-get-XPRIZE-funds-to-keep-carbon-in-the-ground.php
- Entrepreneurs invited to participate in Regions Bank 2021 Business Plan Competition
November 5, 2021
By Christi Mathis
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Calling all entrepreneurs. Here’s your chance to submit a business plan for the chance to win cash prizes in the Regions Bank 2021 Business Plan Competition.
Southern Illinois entrepreneurs will compete for up to $10,000 in innovation and small business development funding provided by Regions Bank through the SIU Foundation. The Illinois Small Business Development Center at SIU will provide technical support and business assistance and the deadline to submit entries is Friday, Nov. 12.
The top prize is $5,000. Second prize is $3,000 and third place is $2,000.
Read the full story at https://news.siu.edu/2021/11/110521-Entrepreneurs-invited-to-participate-in-Regions-Bank-2021-Business-Plan-Competition.php
- SIU team is looking to create NASA’s next food source while in space
Published: Nov. 4, 2021 at 6:39 PM UTC
CARBONDALE, IL. (KFVS) -A research team at Southern Illinois University is looking at new ways to feed astronauts.
It’s a NASA funded project that is aimed at creating nourishing, good tasting food for longer missions.
“Wow it’s like amazing,” said SIU Microbiology Professor Lahiru Jayakody.
That’s was his initial reaction when he found out he and his team would be working with NASA.
For the full story, visit https://www.kfvs12.com/2021/11/04/siu-team-is-looking-create-nasa-next-food-source-while-space/
- SIU nets $44.7M in research grants and contracts in 2020-21
October 26, 2021
SIU nets $44.7M in research grants and contracts in 2020-21
by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the last fiscal year remained a powerhouse of research, funded by millions of dollars in grants and contracts from government and private sources.
Despite the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty researchers on the Carbondale campus brought in more than $44.7 million in outside research and service-based grants and contracts. That amount was an increase of more than $7 million beyond the previous five years following the state budget impasse.
The success kept SIU firmly included among Carnegie doctoral research universities in the country, as well as cementing it as the top-ranked “high research activity” institution in its class in Illinois.
Read the full story at https://news.siu.edu/2021/10/102621-SIU-nets-44.7M-in-research-grants-and-contracts-in-2020-21.php
- SIU researchers aim to turn trash from coffee, tea into biodegradable plastic treasure
October 21, 2021
SIU researchers aim to turn trash from coffee, tea into biodegradable plastic treasure
by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. — They’re a big problem, single-use plastics. They’re popular, cheap, one of the most common trash and landfill items, and they don’t recycle very well. Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, however, are working on promising technologies that could bring a molecular-level, sustainable solution to the table while still making it easy to enjoy your favorite beverages. All we have to do is keep drinking coffee and tea.
Read the full story at https://news.siu.edu/2021/10/102121-SIU-researchers-aim-to-turn-trash-from-coffee,-tea-into-biodegradable-plastic-treasure.php
- SIU engineering professor uses NIH grant to probe how stem cells become specific tissue
August 25, 2021
SIU engineering professor uses NIH grant to probe how stem cells become specific tissue
by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. — When you receive an injury to your body, stem cells come to the rescue. Now, a Southern Illinois University Carbondale researcher will use a grant to study ways to create and direct massive numbers of stem cells to speed healing, even when the injury is beyond the body’s typical ability to heal itself naturally.
Farhan Chowdhury, associate professor of mechanical engineering and energy processes, recently received a $442,500 grant from the National Institutes of Health. He will use it to study ways to meet an engineering challenge: creating lab-grown stem cells for specific types of body cells, such as heart, skin, or other organ tissue.
Read the full story at https://news.siu.edu/2021/08/082521-SIU-engineering-professor-uses-NIH-grant-to-probe-how-stem-cells-become-specific-tissue.php
- SI Now Officially Launches
SI Now, a Southern Illinois Success Initiative, is officially underway and serves as a regional economic development hub and unified voice for the 17 southern counties in Illinois to advance our region as a great place to live, work, and do business.
To learn more about SI Now, visit https://southernillinoisnow.org/.
- SIU student wildlife biologist researches how coyotes’ and bobcats’ travels impact ecosystem
July 08, 2021
SIU student wildlife biologist researches how coyotes’ and bobcats’ travels impact ecosystem
by Tim Crosby
CARBONDALE, Ill. — You’d probably be surprised just how far a coyote or bobcat will go for a steady supply of good food and habitat, says a graduate researcher at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The occasional cougar or bear sighted in the Southern Illinois area notwithstanding, coyotes and bobcats are pretty much the apex wildlife predators in Illinois. The four-legged hunters like to sink their fangs into just about anything, be it feathered or furry, while living everywhere from farm fields, to city neighborhoods and college campuses to the deep, dark woods of the state’s national forests and state parks.
Read the full story at https://news.siu.edu/2021/07/070821-SIU-student-wildlife-biologist-researches-how-coyotes-and-bobcats-travels-impact-ecosystem.php
- Discover how to start a business at SIU’s Small Business Development Center workshops
Discover how to start a business at SIU’s Small Business Development Center workshops
If you’ve ever considered starting your own business, or expanding a small business to the next level, you’ll want to attend one of the “Starting Your Business in Illinois” workshops the Small Business Development Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is hosting. To attend this no-cost workshop, visit the monthly event schedule or click the online workshop/on-demand link at https://sbdc.siu.edu/.
- Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Southern Illinois Businesses
In this report, you'll find the results of a February 2021 survey regarding the economic impact of COVID-19 on southern Illinois businesses. This is a follow up to the initial survey conducted in 2020 and compares the impact across time and industry. The summarized results present a snapshot of the southern Illinois region as reported through businesses in five counties: Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Perry, and Williamson.
The Illinois Small Business Development Center at SIU in collaboration with regional partners use the survey results as a guide to better assist the region's businesses and provide services and resources in response to the challenges presented.
- Strategic Planning Projects
Strategic Planning Projects
The Strategic Planning Report Presentation for the World Shooting and Recreational Complex, and Pyramid State Recreation Area, was held on Monday, August, 5, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex’s Main Event Center. An electronic version of each report is linked below.
Strategic Planning Report
(electronic PDF version)
Pyramid State Recreation Area
World Shooting and Recreational Complex
For additional information, visit https://news.siu.edu/.
- SIU students getting special entrepreneurship training and experience
SIU students getting special entrepreneurship training and experience
Several Southern Illinois University Carbondale students are participating in a unique program designed to help them become more innovative, creative and entrepreneurial and to foster those traits in fellow students.
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- Novel bacterium designated ‘SIUC-1’ likes it hot, may make history
Novel bacterium designated ‘SIUC-1’ likes it hot, may make history
Life: You find it in the darnedest places, and in all its weird glory.
Now the challenge for a student in the microbiology program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is keeping it alive to study where it fits within the tree of life.
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