Engineering Infrastructure Renovation for Sustainability Research

该奖项是根据2009年《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)提供资金的。该项目包括对加州大学洛杉矶分校工程与应用科学学院的部分Boelter Hall进行翻新。大楼内设有化学和生物分子工程系、土木工程和环境工程系以及计算机科学系。要翻新的空间的统一主题是将其用于“可持续发展研究”。将创建四个研究“协作室”，并对核心机械、电气和管道基础设施进行翻新，以支持这些研究。合作实验室包括：结构可持续发展合作实验室、生物可持续发展合作实验室、能源和水可持续发展合作实验室和可持续环境-生物-纳米技术合作实验室。翻新后的设施将用于可再生和替代能源生产和储存技术以及环境工程的研究。一些研究目标包括：开发药物的生物合成以取代目前使用有机溶剂的工艺并将可再生资源转化为药品；研究生物燃料燃烧产物对哺乳动物细胞的影响；发现、开发和优化设计代谢途径的新方法、用于生物传感器的新酶和新的生物可降解聚合物；在亚细胞水平了解微生物过程；污染物、纳米颗粒和病原体的生物转化以解决危险废物问题和改善公众健康；了解特定地点的生理和水文地化条件以及工程操作如何影响生物降解活动、微生物群落结构以及污染物的去向和传输。除了为研究提供基础设施外，翻新后的设施还将供本科生、研究生和博士后研究人员进行研究培训。一些研究活动的结果可能转化为工业可以商业化的技术，社会可以利用这些技术提供新的能源流，加强环境管理，并减轻环境变化的不利后果。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This project involves the renovation of sections of Boelter Hall, part of UCLA's School of Engineering and Applied Science. The building houses the departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Computer Science. The unifying theme of the space to be renovated is its use for "sustainability research." Four research "collaboratories" will be created and core mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure will be renovated to support these. The collaboratories are: a Structural Sustainability Collaboratory, a Bio-Sustainability Collaboratory, an Energy and Water Sustainability Collaboratory, and a Sustainable Enviro-Bio-Nano-Technology Collaboratory. The renovated facility will be used for research in technologies for renewable and alternative energy production and storage, and environmental engineering. Some of the research goals include: the development of the biosynthesis of pharmaceuticals to replace current processes involving organic solvents and to convert renewable resources into pharmaceuticals; a study of the effect of biofuel combustion products on mammalian cells; the discovery, development and optimization of new methods for designing metabolic pathways, new enzymes for biosensors, and new biodegradable polymers; understanding microbial processes at the sub-cellular level; the biotransformation of pollutants, nanoparticles, and pathogens to solve hazardous waste problems and improve public health; and understanding how site-specific physiological and hydrogeochemical conditions and engineered manipulations affect biodegradation activities, microbial community structures, and the fate and transport of pollutants. In addition to providing infrastructure for research, the renovated facility will be used by undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers for research training. The outcomes of some of the research activities may translate into technologies that industry can commercialize and that society can use to provide new energy streams, enhance environmental stewardship, and mitigate the adverse consequences of environmental change.