Date: Jun 06, 2013 Source: Seacoast Daily (
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BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA — Florida Institute of Technology and the firm, Gordon Nelson and Associates, have been chosen as one of just 14 recipients of a NASA Small Business Technology Transfer program contract award.
Gordon Nelson, university professor of chemistry at Florida Tech.
The award, valued at just under $700,000 for two years, is for phase II research and development of a new, flexible polyurethane insulation foam, created through a non-toxic, environmentally-friendly composite approach. Florida Tech was the only university in Florida awarded an STTR contract.
Principal investigator and project manager is Feng Yang, research associate professor in the Florida Tech Department of Chemistry. He will lead work with vendors on the production of intermediate-scale samples, investigate commercialization, licensing and joint ventures.
POTENTIAL NASA APPLICATIONS
Potential NASA commercial applications include cryogenic insulation, fireproofing, energy absorption and other aerospace applications. Possible other commercial applications include packaging foam, industrial and acoustic insulation, mattresses, automotive firewalls, aircraft and train seating, and some furniture applications.
More than 37,000 students have earned degrees at Florida Institute of Technology. The university commits to developing leaders and professionals in the fields of engineering, the sciences, business, aviation and psychology.
Florida Tech commits to developing leaders and professionals in the fields of engineering, the sciences, business, aviation and psychology.
"We are excited about receiving this highly competitive award, the only one to a Florida university. It is gratifying to see research move from the laboratory to actual applications," said Gordon Nelson, university professor of chemistry at Florida Tech.
ABOUT FIT
Founded at the dawn of the Space Race in 1958, Florida Tech is the only independent, technological university in the Southeast. The university has been named a Barron's Guide "Best Buy" in College Education, designated a Tier One Best National University in U.S. News and World Report.
FIT is one of just nine schools in Florida lauded by the 2012 Fiske Guide to Colleges and recognized by Bloomberg Businessweek as the best college for return on investment in Florida.
