OU Engineering

An engineering researcher at the University of Oklahoma is part of a National Science Foundation project addressing the logistical challenges of maintaining cryogenic temperatures for Messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, a molecule that allows human cells to recognize and protect against infectious diseases. Dimitrios Papavassiliou ,  a professor in the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering in the Gallogly College of Engineering, is investigating Distributed Ribonucleic Acid Manufacturing – DReAM – that would create a manufacturing technique to produce mRNA sequences on demand and on-site. The NSF funds the research through a four-year, $2 million grant from its Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation program.  “The mRNA molecules are very fragile and require extremely low temperatures for storage and transportation. The DReAM team is working to avoid the need to maintain cryogenic temperatures. We hope our work will revolutionize care for viruses such as H...

Cultural anthropologist Dawn Martin-Hill, has been named the 2022 University of Oklahoma International Water Prize recipient for her commitment to improving water security for the people of the Six Nations of the Grand River, the largest Native reserve in Canada. In September Martin-Hill, an associate professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, was recognized at the OU International WaTER Symposium for her contributions to understanding how water quality and security are linked to Indigenous community culture, livelihood and health.  Jim Chamberlain, interim director of the OU WaTER Center, said, “Dr. Martin-Hill is deeply committed to bringing water to the underserved in North America. We had five excellent nominees for this prize and a panel of her peers determined that Dr. Martin-Hill’s work stood out as exemplary and representative of the WaTER Center’s mission to bring water and sanitation to communities in need.” The symposium brings together a group of expert paneli...

The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, headquartered at Tinker Air Force Base, is funding six research projects at the University of Oklahoma. A seventh project is being funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory. The nearly $5 million total investment will fund research that addresses sustainment and modernization needs for the Air Force. “Our partnership with OU is instrumental to our ability to meet future mission challenges,” said OC-ALC Cmdr. Maj. Gen. Jeffrey R. King. “These awards, following closely on the heels of our educational partnership agreement and software satellite facility on the Norman campus, represent the next step in this growing and vital relationship.” OU signed an educational partnership agreement with OC-ALC in July 2020 to cultivate aerospace and defense technology development and to improve and enhance education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Following the development of OU’s Lead On, University strategic plan , which defines four “...