Mark Hernandez News

Three department-affiliated teams awarded $125K each in Lab Venture Challenge

Susan Glairon — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:57:32 +0000

Three department-affiliated teams awarded $125K each in Lab Venture Challenge Susan Glairon Wed, 11/20/2024 - 12:57

Susan Glairon

Three professors from the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering were among 10 teams of University of Colorado Boulder faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators awarded $125,000 each in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC).

This year, 14 teams of University of Colorado Boulder faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators competed for a combined $1.25 million in startup funding grants. Judges from ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� entrepreneurial network heard Shark-Tank-style pitches across two nights, one for innovations in biosciences and another for physical sciences and engineering.

LVC supports projects that address a commercial need, have a clear path to a compelling market and have strong scientific support. The LVC grants are funded by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Program, as well as Venture Partners at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� and the Chancellor’s Innovation Fund.

Professor Mark Hernandez, Emmalee Biesiada, a postdoctoral associate in the Hernandez Aerobiology Laboratory, and Steve Hughes, CEO of SteriO3, won in the biosciences division for their work on Peroxide Enhanced Germicidal Irradiation (PEGI) technology, which quickly inactivates microbial contaminants at low temperature. With LVC funding, the team plans to develop compact, portable sterilization systems for medical instruments, including those made with 3D-printed materials.

“I look forward to overseeing the progression of PEGI from the laboratory into real-world applications in emergency medicine,” Biesiada said.

The team envisions the portable sterilization technology being used by emergency medical technicians and paramedics, as well as by disaster response agencies like the Red Cross. Biesiada, who developed the technology during her doctoral studies at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��, said the team has also been in communication with Army and Navy groups interested in using PEGI for surgical instrument sterilization in combat field medicine. Additionally, the technology has potential applications in veterinary medicine for on-site treatment of animals that cannot be easily transported to a clinic, she said.

Professor Gregor Henze, along with Galen Williams and Gerry Conroy, received the award for Whisper Energy, a wireless, battery-free sensor fusion platform tailored for small to medium-sized commercial buildings. Using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and machine learning, Whisper Energy aims to significantly reduce energy consumption by providing real-time data to optimize energy use and reduce emissions. Developed with a $2 million ARPA-E grant, the technology promises cost-effective sensing of occupancy and indoor environmental conditions, low-cost energy and emission savings in buildings that have been historically difficult to retrofit.

“The award will allow further refinement of the technology, tailoring it to new use cases, and building a series of prototypes for demonstration purposes,” Henze said.

Assistant Professor Tony Straub and Kian Lopez, a chemical engineering PhD student, won for their startup OsmoPure Technologies, which is developing a membrane for advanced water treatment.The technology uses pressure-driven distillation, rather than heat, to produce high-purity water with 10 times greater energy efficiency. The startup has been developing its technology for water recycling systems on NASA-crewed space missions. LVC funding will enable them to expand into ultrapure water systems for semiconductor manufacturing and other industrial applications.

Three professors — Mark Hernandez, Gregor Henze and Tony Straub — were each awarded $125,000 with their researchers and graduate student innovators in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge for University of Colorado Boulder faculty start-ups.

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Mark Hernandez and team awarded $125K in Lab Venture Challenge

Susan Glairon — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 21:37:42 +0000

Mark Hernandez and team awarded $125K in Lab Venture Challenge Susan Glairon Wed, 11/06/2024 - 14:37

Professor Mark Hernandez, his former PhD student Emmalee Biesiada and colleague Steve Hughes were among five winning teams of University of Colorado Boulder faculty, researchers and graduate student innovators awarded $125,000 in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) in the biosciences category. Their company is developing Peroxide Enhanced Germicidal Irradiation (PEGI) for rapid, low-resource sterilization of microbial contaminants.

Professor Mark Hernandez and his team was awarded $125,000 in this year’s Lab Venture Challenge (LVC) in the biosciences category.

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Mark Hernandez: Indoor air monitoring goes to school

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 17:59:36 +0000

Mark Hernandez: Indoor air monitoring goes to school Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/11/2024 - 11:59

Across the US, schools have begun measuring air quality en masse. Professor Mark Hernandez is helping to interpret the data

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9News: Researchers at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� test classroom air purification devices

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 17:42:56 +0000

9News: Researchers at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� test classroom air purification devices Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/23/2024 - 11:42

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Why Good Indoor Air Quality Matters — American Lung Association Podcast

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 21:13:30 +0000

Why Good Indoor Air Quality Matters — American Lung Association Podcast Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/05/2023 - 14:13

In this episode of the American Lung Association Podcast, Professor Mark Hernandez speaks about the harmful impact of pollutants such as mold, toxic chemicals and asbestos on respiratory health, particularly in a school setting.

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Can air purifiers help keep kids in school? New study seeks to find out.

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:57:57 +0000

Can air purifiers help keep kids in school? New study seeks to find out. Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/27/2023 - 15:57

Mark Hernandez, SJ Archuleta Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, is co-leading a $2.2 million CDC-funded project with researchers at CU Anschutz to investigate the impact of classroom air purifiers on reducing student absenteeism.

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Mark Hernandez secures $1.5M in new awards from DEVCOM and CDC

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 15:57:32 +0000

Mark Hernandez secures $1.5M in new awards from DEVCOM and CDC Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/21/2023 - 09:57

Professor Mark Hernandez received $1.5 million in new awards from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study electromagnetic field impacts on bacteria and air quality-related respiratory disease outcomes in K-12 classrooms.

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Tend to get sick when the air is dry? New research helps explain why

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 00:02:41 +0000

Tend to get sick when the air is dry? New research helps explain why Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/23/2023 - 17:02

Mark Hernandez, S. J. Archuleta Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and senior author of recent research published in PNAS-Nexus, found that airborne particles carrying a mammalian coronavirus closely related to the virus which causes COVID-19 remain infectious for twice as long in drier air.

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Unique bioaerosol lab, dedicated students, made COVID research possible

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 23:36:27 +0000

Unique bioaerosol lab, dedicated students, made COVID research possible Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 02/23/2023 - 16:36

Professor Mark Hernandez, S. J. Archuleta Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, also directs ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��'s Environmental Engineering Microbiology and Disinfection Lab, an experimental space used to study infectious airborne particles and realistically mimics indoor environments. In a recent study published in PNAS-Nexus, the team studied murine hepatitis virus (MHV), a coronavirus that cannot infect humans but is closely related to SARS-CoV-2.

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Air quality research in Denver schools highlighted by multiple media outlets

Anonymous — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 20:53:25 +0000

Air quality research in Denver schools highlighted by multiple media outlets Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 07/22/2022 - 14:53

Mark Hernandez's research to study air quality and COVID-19 in Denver Public Schools is being covered by numerous Front Range journalists.

Denver Public Schools is spending $1.5 million to track air quality in classrooms with new monitors installed by Hernandez and his students.

Hernandez, a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, is an expert in genetic, biochemical and toxicological techniques to assess the efficacy of engineering interventions in sanitary and hygiene concerns.

His laboratory has a particular focus on aerobiology science for wide-area surveillance, indoor cleaning technology and the design of aerosol disinfection systems in the built environment.

The project is receiving coverage in the Denver Post, Denverite, 9News, and Chalkbeat Colorado

Denver Post: Denver Public Schools spending $1.5 million to track air quality in classrooms with new monitors

Denverite: DPS is adding air monitors in all of its schools

9News: DPS installs air quality sensors in schools

Chalkbeat Colorado: Denver schools to monitor indoor air quality using federal COVID money

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Mark Hernandez News

Three department-affiliated teams awarded $125K each in Lab Venture Challenge

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Mark Hernandez and team awarded $125K in Lab Venture Challenge

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Mark Hernandez: Indoor air monitoring goes to school

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9News: Researchers at ���Ҵ�ý�ƽ������ test classroom air purification devices

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Why Good Indoor Air Quality Matters — American Lung Association Podcast

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Can air purifiers help keep kids in school? New study seeks to find out.

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Mark Hernandez secures $1.5M in new awards from DEVCOM and CDC

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Tend to get sick when the air is dry? New research helps explain why

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Unique bioaerosol lab, dedicated students, made COVID research possible

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Air quality research in Denver schools highlighted by multiple media outlets

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9News: Researchers at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� test classroom air purification devices