Assistant Professor of Chemistry Konrad Meister was awarded a $580,000 grant from the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR) – a branch of the Department of Defense – for his project “Unraveling the Molecular Basis for Superior Ice Nucleation Activity.”
In nature, certain materials exhibit exceptional control over ice formation. Examples include ice-nucleating bacteria and organic crystals, which play crucial roles in cloud glaciation and snow production. With the support of the DESPCoR program grant, Meister and his team will investigate the molecular mechanisms behind these materials’ remarkable ice-nucleating properties, aiming to understand their exceptional performance and explore possibilities for designing even more effective alternatives.
Meister’s is one of 27 collaborative academic teams awarded $17.6 million under the DEPSCoR program. The program is designed to strengthen the basic research infrastructure at higher education institutions in underutilized states and territories.
For more information, view the Department of Defense’s press release.