Sustainability
It’s important to determine how the gas was created because this helps geologists determine where they should explore for gas in a specific region, McIntosh said. The research also is important for determining the source and timing of freshwater recharge and how that recharge affects the water quality and sustainability of the underground water resources being pumped by Midwestern cities. Where Did the Methanogens Come From? One of the questions McIntosh is studying is whether methanogens were deposited with the sediment during the Devonian and were sitting dormant in a saline environment before the ice sheet melted, or whether they were surface microbes that migrated with the water from the ice sheet and evolved to exploit their new environment. CONT INUED ON PAGE 6 6
LABOR AT OR IES
National Science Foundation/Semiconductor Research Corporation Engineering Research Center for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing In 1996, UA (lead institution), MIT, Stanford and UC Berkeley established the NSF/SRC Engineering Research Center for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing. In 1998, Cornell, ASU and MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory joined the center. The University of Maryland became a partner in 1999. The center’s goals are to: • Develop solutions to environmental, safety and health issues in semiconductor manufacturing. • Create environmentally benign manufacturing processes. • Demonstrate the positive impact of design-for-environment on semiconductor manufacturing. • Develop educational programs in which environmental factors are integral to the curriculum. Rather than relying on abatement and end-of-the-pipe treatments
for waste minimization, the center emphasizes process optimization and an integrated approach in which interactions among processes are considered. The center applies this methodology to manufacturing process groups that are significant to environmental safety and health. Center activities are integrated with academic programs for undergraduate and graduate students and for continuing education and short courses directed at industry engineers. The center also works with high school teachers to improve science and math education. In addition, the center provides a technical forum for experts from industry, research institutions and government agencies to exchange ideas and information on environmental, safety and health concerns in semiconductor manufacturing.
San Xavier Experimental Mine The San Xavier Experimental Mine serves as a center for research, education and training. Students in Mining and Geological Engineering (MGE) get hands-on training at this working underground mine, which is owned by the department and located about 20 miles south of Tucson. The mine, which MGE acquired after it became unprofitable as a commercial mining operation, also serves as a research laboratory and
site for training workers who must go underground to develop highways, light rail systems, sewers, water systems and mines. Mine rescue and mine health and safety programs are conducted at the San Xavier Experimental mine, and it also serves as a recruiting tool, public relations center and home for collaborative training programs for future engineers, industry groups and regulatory agencies.
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university of arizona | college of engineering | progress report 2009 | 65