For release: November 9, 2012
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey, 901-678-2843

Dr. Firouzeh Sabri, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Memphis, and her collaborator, Dr. Jeffrey Marchetta, U of M associate professor of mechanical engineering, have received a TN-SCORE Research Stimulation Award. They won the award for the study of “Aerogel-based Nanomaterial Insulation for Energy Conservation of Industrial Burners.” Only two such awards were made in Tennessee this year.

Research Stimulation Awards are intended to support the development and success of junior investigators so they can obtain other major funding and to encourage universities and industry to work cooperatively on renewable energy research. Sabri and Marchetta will be working closely with a leading manufacturer of industrial driers to lower harmful emissions by utilizing the unique properties of aerogel nanomaterials.

TN-SCORE (Tennessee Solar Conversion and Storage Using Outreach, Research and Education) is Tennessee’s first National Science Foundation RII Track 1 Research Infrastructure award. TN-SCORE is a statewide project focused on facilitating high-quality energy research and development within and between Tennessee’s private and public institutions of higher education, federal laboratories, and the business sector.  

In addition to the Aerogel project, TN-SCORE supports five U of M researchers – Yongmei Wang, Tomoko Fujiwara, Xuan Zhao, Mohamed Laradji and Sanjay Mishra – for their work on renewable energy. Last year TN-SCORE assisted 16 graduate students and 15 undergraduate students and sponsored two students from underrepresented minorities in Memphis CRESH, a summer program directed by Sabri that offers high school juniors and seniors hands-on experience as a scientist. In addition, U of M students participated in a TN-SCORE-sponsored Council on Undergraduate Research workshop.