Grants

Norfolk State Awarded $25,000 Grant to Expand Green Tech

The grant will go toward expanding an engineering program at NSU that studies the application of small instruments to enhance energy lighting, solar cells and internet speeds.

• By Sri Ravipati
• 08/09/16

Norfolk State University in Virginia was recently awarded a $25,000 grant to expand its teaching in the field of of emerging green technologies. The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of energy production company Dominion Resources, provided NSU with the grant to continue NSU’s instruction and research in microelectronics, optoelectronics and microfabrications.

Students at the university are conducting research with devices so small in size that millions can fit on the head of a pin, according to a news release. At NSU’s Micro- and Nano-technology Center (MiNaC), students learn how to design tiny devices for energy generation and lighting. The “cleanroom” lab is a 6,000-square-foot facility that enables students to work hands-on with green energy devices like LEDs and solar cells.

“I have been working on the design of photo detectors and monitoring undergraduate students’ fabrication of solar cells,” said Pallay Kanukuntla, a graduate student at NSU, in a statement. “This research could be revolutionary in green technology for communications, leading to improvements such as greater efficiency and faster internet speeds.”

"Thanks to this Dominion Foundation grant, we are able to expand training capabilities for students to learn the fabrication process which uses green technology to improve electronic communications, energy generation and lighting," said Demetris Geddis, director of MiNaC and an associate professor of engineering, in a statement.

Further information is available on the MiNaC site.