Real-time monitoring of indoor air quality, creating scholarly gaming environments, and developing sustainable solutions for cities are among the projects funded in the Discovery Partners Institute’s (DPI) first round of seed grants.
As part of establishing its academic and research activities, DPI announced nine recipients of its first round of seed funding awards, including three headed by professors in the College of LAS. These projects represent the types of work that DPI will undertake, seeking solutions to grand challenges that produce real-world impact.
The project Air quality in the home: from smart sensing to action will be directed by Richard B. Sowers, professor of mathematics; Paul Francisco, senior coordinator at the Applied Research Institute; and Charles Catlett, University of Chicago. This proposal aims to develop the technology for real-time monitoring of indoor air quality, building on a collaboration with the Indoor Climate Research & Training group at Urbana-Champaign’s Applied Research Institute and the Chicago Array of Things team. The project will produce a proof of concept, a data stream and prototype dashboard, an understanding of data analytics and a literature review, and a workshop discussing the findings.
DPI is a pioneering new research institute led by the University of Illinois System that will create breakthrough discoveries to drive economic growth and prosperity in Chicago, the state of Illinois, and beyond. Currently operating in downtown Chicago, DPI plans to construct a facility in the South Loop that will be home to thousands of students and more than 100 top researchers who will work alongside academic, business, and tech partners in the city and around the world.
All of the projects will receive funding, staff support and use of the DPI facility in Chicago — intended to fuel development of these early-stage initiatives into full-scale research and education programs.