MIT Student Project Wins another EPA Grant to Design of Alternative Energy Systems

(Boston, Mass. -- May 6, 2009) -- MIT students working on designing a system that creates power using solar heat and methane gas received one of six coveted national EPA grants which are helping programs that protect the environment and are economically profitable.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge will receive up to $75,000 through EPA's People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) program, which provides funds for designs to move developed and developing world toward sustainability. The P3 award competition encourages college students to apply technology in innovative ways to tackle global environmental challenges. P3 designs must be economically profitable, which is why each winner receives funding up to $75,000 to commercialize their designs.

The project was selected in a competitive national competition held recently at EPA's Annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The MIT work was first selected last November as a candidate for the national competition. Each year, the expo showcases innovative, cutting-edge technologies designed by the P3 teams along with sustainable policies and technologies developed and implemented by government and state agencies and nonprofit organizations.

Support for the competition includes more than 40 partners in the federal government, industry and scientific and professional societies. This year's expo was co-sponsored by Beyond Benign, a nonprofit organization that educates people on green chemistry.

May is National Science Month. EPA is celebrating Science throughout the year, connecting with the public through blogs, podcasts and demonstrations of the importance of science and sustainability in our communities.

More information: - Details on the winning projects

(including multimedia features) (www.epa.gov/p3/09winners) - EPA's P3 Award competition

(www.epa.gov/P3) - Science at EPA

(www.epa.gov/epahome/scitech.htm)

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Contact Information: EPA Office of Public Affairs, (617) 918-1010

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