Sustainable packaging: Dow honors winners of Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge

In conjunction with National Chemistry Week, winning students from partner universities around the world will be recognized for their innovation and commitment to providing sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing social, economic and environmental problems.

“Sustainable solutions are not just a driver of business and innovation, they are the key to solving the world’s most pressing challenges,” said Neil Hawkins, Dow’s Vice President of Sustainability and Environment, Health and Safety. “I speak for everyone at Dow when I say how proud we are to recognize the innovative thinking and collaboration showcased among a new generation of scientists and leaders collectively working toward a more sustainable future.”

The awards ceremony comes one day after a sustainable science demonstration at the Boston Museum of Science, which featured representatives from Dow, Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Winners and Beyond Benign, a not-for-profit organization that advocates education about sustainable science among students of all ages. Several students from the Boston metropolitan area participated in this sustainability-based educational experience.

“Beyond Benign has a proud partnership with Dow in enhancing education and sparking enthusiasm for green chemistry among today’s students,” said Dr. John Warner, president of Beyond Benign. “Programs like the Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge help students realize the power and potential of sustainable chemistry to make positive change in the world.”

Established in 2009 in alignment with Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goals, the Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge program is made possible through Dow’s partnerships with seven universities – four in the United States and three in other regions of the world. Participating universities committed to participate in the first three years of the program include: The University of California-Berkeley, The University of Cambridge, The University of Michigan, Northwestern University, Peking University, The University of Sao Paulo and Tufts University.

Award winners were selected using a peer review process by the participating universities with guidance from high-level criteria provided by Dow. Examples of projects recognized include:

    * Application of organic photoelectric materials in the field of solar power generation and energy conservation

    * A synthetic route to developing polyethylene terephthalate, used in products ranging from beverage containers to synthetic fibers, currently produced from crude oil

    * An exploration of the biotechnological aspects of the interaction between bacteria and sugarcane

A total of forty-one student winners will be recognized globally for their enthusiasm and commitment to sustainability. The winners include:

    * Antoine Aubeneau, Phillip Brunner, Jennifer Drummond, Jonathan Lamano, Joseph Park, Jonathan Servaites, Junzi Shi and Shiyuan Zhou – Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

    * Zhaomin Dong, Ting Lei, Zitao Wang, Shimin Wu, Xiaoqin Wu, Kun Zhang, Shaoguang Zhang and Yan Zhou – Peking University, Beijing, China

    * Amanda Beal, Georgia Kayser, Karen Claire Kosinski and Ellen Tyler – Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.

    * Paul Borokhov, Cindy Chen, Matt Evans, Evan Haigler, Laura Schewel, Mika Shiramizu and Gopal Vaswani – University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.

    * Jamie Anderson, Cise Unluer and Max Wigley – University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
    * Paul Davis, Colm Fay, Cynthia Koenig, Robert Levine, Jennifer McLaughlin, Christopher Mueller, Prashanth Prasad and Imogen Taylor – University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.

    * Rosangela Calado da Costa, Maria Carolina Quecine and Marcela da Silva Costa – University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

The three graduate student teams that were selected for their research and innovations received $10,000 for their innovative solutions to the world’s challenges. Selected winners from each winning team were represented at the annual recognition luncheon.

“As the host of this year’s event and a partner school for the program, Tufts University is excited to help celebrate the creativity and accomplishments of these students,” said Vincent P. Manno, Associate Provost and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University. “The breadth of the approaches proposed by these young scholars to address critical sustainable development issues is truly impressive. It is inspiring to see the passion and innovation of these people who will become tomorrow’s sustainability leaders.”

SOURCE: Dow Chemical Company