An Email Makes a Difference

Meghan Puglia, Assistant Professor of Neurology, received a Trust grant for the Transformative Autism Biomarker Research Initiative, studying babies in the NICU to detect early indicators of autism. A few years later, Zack Landsman, Systems Engineering PhD student, received a Trust grant for his work to recycle plastic waste and electronic equipment, creating them into new materials.

Colorful shredded plastic from recycled pipette tips.

Zack and Meghan were previous collaborators on another project, so when UVA Today featured Zack’s work to add recycling capabilities to UVA and Charlottesville, Meghan contacted him with a plastic waste “gold mine”.

“Meghan has been one of my favorite collaborators as she shows great passion for her work. The plastic recycling collaboration began after one email from Meghan and has jumpstarted all of our work! This story is a perfect example of waste stream identification helping to create an entire process. Our sights are currently set on blue wrap, a polypropylene hospital staple that, accounts for an estimated 19% of all operating room waste by weight,” shares Zack.

Many labs produce a large amount of discarded pipette tips that aren’t often recycled and end up in a landfill.  “They are a perfect starter item, all the same plastic, well labeled, require no cleaning (sticker removal on some), and come in cool colors” shares Zack.

Since Zack’s team began collection, they have worked to refine their recycling process. They sort by color, type, and size, then shred the plastics and re-sort based on manufacturing needs.

Zack has formed a partnership with the School of Architecture to supply them with recycled plastics and is working with UVA Sustainability and Green Labs to increase contributions from labs across Grounds.

For more information or to get involved with either project, visit junklabz.com or puglialab.org.

Jefferson Trust Grants Set New Records

The Jefferson Trust Board of Trustees has had a banner year, awarding almost $1.4 million to 14 new projects and programs.

“The decision-making process was extremely difficult,” shares Amy Bonner, Director of Grants for the Trust. “This grant cycle was record-breaking in terms of dollars sought and exceptional ideas. With this cohort, we have taken another great step forward towards our vision of seeing every great idea at UVA come to fruition.”

The Trust awarded its largest-ever single grant to the School of Data Science. Researchers will study the practices surrounding “collaboratories,” or interdisciplinary research, making UVA a national leader in the field and bringing broad resources to the University.

Sustainability was a key theme this year, with Printers 4 Kids and the Co-designing Circular Plastics Initiative focusing on how UVA can improve plastics recycling. UVA Sawmilling, the UVA Exhibit at Columbus 2023, and the Building Community at Biscuit Run Park all focus on sustainable materials in action. Other grant themes included community engagement, student experience, and cutting-edge research.

The 2022-23 Grants:

Printers 4 Kids: $30,000

This project is creating STEM kits for local Charlottesville schools from discarded electronic equipment and working to establish UVA’s first plastic recycling center.

Building Community with Architecture and Design at Biscuit Run Park: $200,000

The School of Architecture, in partnership with Albemarle County Parks & Recreation, will provide students with experiences in the design, fabrication, and construction of several innovative installations and multi-functional spaces.

C-Ville Tulips: $150,000

Led by the Center for American English Language (CAELC) and the Sound Justice Lab, this program will bring student volunteers together with local refugee women to support them in English instruction and digital literacy, as well as provide youth programming opportunities.

Evaluating Collaboratory Cultures: $298,693

The School of Data Science will research collaboration and promote the findings to illustrate how more collaborative groups and cultures can be built across Grounds and throughout academia.

Virginia Baja Racing: $25,000

Funding helps to reestablish the Virginia Baja Racing Team through the purchase of materials, parts, and equipment, enabling the team to compete in the Baja SAE event in May 2023.

OrChiD-Bio: Organs-on-a-chip with integrated detection of bioluminescence: $100,000

This research project aims to create a novel instrument that will detect bioluminescence in living cells embedded within organ-on-a-chip devices.

Piloting an Open-source Educational Manufacturing Model: $49,900

Funding radically expands a STEM kit program from proof-of-concept stages at Buford Middle School in Charlottesville to a national, open-source curriculum.

UVA Sawmilling: Fully Sustainable: $137,860

Funding helps UVA Sawmilling in purchasing equipment, enhancing programming, and supporting personnel to make the program a self-sustaining organization and expand its outreach.

[De]Construction Project: remapping the roles of design and implementation in the building industry: $136,550

Through a series of workshops that reimagine the construction industry, students will rethink the collaboration between the labor force, design process, and implementation.

Co-designing Circular Plastics Initiative: $25,952

In collaboration with UVA’s recycling division, this project will repurpose recyclable plastics and film plastics into outdoor and indoor furniture.

UVA at Exhibit Columbus 2023: $35,000

Students will create a unique, sustainable architectural installation for Exhibit Columbus 2023 that will ultimately be displayed on Grounds for the UVA community.

1st UVA Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) Competition: $22,729

Funding will bring undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and construction practitioners of the UVA Construction Industry Consortium and UVA Facilities Management together to build community and share ideas through competitive events.

Including Preschoolers with Autism: $61,841

Funding will develop and pilot a 12-week professional development program for preschool teachers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

The Sports Science and Analytics Collective: $123,314

The collective blends research and practical application in sports, healthy living, and musculoskeletal health to accelerate efforts in research, collaboration, and student education.