Oregon BEST E-news Masthead
NOVEMBER  2013          
 
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In This Issue...
Cutting Cooling Costs at Data Centers
A Key Internship, 4 Pilots, and $2.6M Fuel Growth at Indow Windows
5th Agenda Development Forum, on Green Chemistry, a Success!
Meet Our New Outreach & Engagement Manager
Puralytics Raises $4M, Lands Key Patent for its Water Purification Technology
PSU Green Roof Lab Located on Walmart
Oregon BEST Welcomes Four New Board Members
Brewery Wastewater Treatment Powers Up
UO Team Monitors Microbes in Buildings
Oregon BEST Companies Win Innovation Awards
Oregon BEST Researchers Make Headlines

Oregon BEST Commercialization Grants




Funding Opportunities
 
 
Letters of Intent Deadline: 12/6/13
Upcoming
Events
 

December 10-11

NW NW Environmental Conference & Trade Show

A conference for environmental, operations, and sustainability professionals. Two days of educational sessions, a comprehensive trade show, and post-conference training courses provide an efficient and affordable way to learn and keep up to date on regulations and best practices, find solutions and who can deliver them, and increase organizational and personal effectiveness. Addressing both regulatory and sustainability topics, the content focuses on the latest information in environmental protection and compliance, health and safety programs, sustainable business management, new technologies and services, and contemporary policy issues. NOTE: Oregon BEST constituents receive a $75 discount off the standard two-day conference registration. Use Discount Code BEST13. 

 
February 24-26 
Oregon BEST will be exhibiting at this, the premier event dedicated to transformative energy solutions. This summit brings together thought leaders from academia, business, and government to discuss cutting-edge energy issues and facilitate relationships to help move technologies into the marketplace. The Summit's strategic combination of leaders makes it the perfect forum for developing energy solutions that will enable America to out-innovate its global competitors. Washington, DC.

March 11-14 
Cleantech startups are disrupting global industries. The economy is experiencing a fundamental shift from centralized to distributed systems. Consumers are gaining power and are decentralizing decisions and processes. This change is remarkable, and the pace is accelerating. Examples are all around us in energy, water, energy efficiency, transportation, waste and many others. Attend the largest and longest-running cleantech forum in the world. This annual gathering of the global cleantech innovation community offers a comprehensive, multi-day development program along with exclusive opportunities to network, socialize, and get deals done. San Francisco, CA
   
More About
Oregon BEST 
Oregon BEST Researchers

Oregon BEST in the News

Oregon BEST Sustainable Built Environment Shared-User Research Network

Oregon BEST Solar Energy Shared-User Research Network

Oregon BEST Agenda Development Series 

Oregon BEST Commercialization Program 


CONTACT US

 Oregon BEST
P.O. Box 212
Portland, OR 97207
Tel. 503-725-9849




Executive Director's Report

We Have Plenty To Be Thankful For...
 
David Kenney portrait
 
As we head into Thanksgiving week, the Oregon BEST staff paused to reflect on our work and impact to date and to express gratitude for the help we've received to get to where we are. Here are our thoughts...

For starters, we all appreciate the support of family and friends. Like many of you, our work sometimes requires us to travel or bring work home, impacting those who are close to us. We appreciate their support.

Next, are the fabulous network of Member Faculty, administrators, and students at our university partners who have worked on projects, provided insights, and engaged our industry partners with the goal of innovating and creating economic value for our state. They are the engine that powers our programs.

We are also very grateful to the Oregon Innovation Council, the Governor, and the Oregon Legislature for their vision and for continuing to prioritize innovation for our state's economic development. The financial resources we receive from the state make our work possible.

Finally, and naturally, with our job-creation focus, the innovative startups, entrepreneurs, and corporate partners who are developing new technologies, products, and services inspire us and drive our desire to help them succeed. It is their success that creates jobs. Thank you, innovators!

With gratitude, from all of us,

David, Johanna, Ken, Cat, Karl, Gwen, Dennis, Chris, Gregg, Marcie, Pablo, and Heber
Oregon BEST Staff, Contractors, and Interns

Cutting Cooling Costs at Data Centers

City of Gresham teams with OSU to test new cooling system 


Prineville, Oregon Data CentersAs sprawling server farms and data rooms consume more and more energy to stay cool, an Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant is helping the City of Gresham collaborate with OSU researchers to implement and test an innovative cooling system that could cut energy costs associated with cooling data rooms by as much as 70 percent.

 

IT Aire logo (png)

Developed by Gresham startup IT Aire, the innovative system eliminates energy-hungry refrigeration compressors commonly found in Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units. Instead, the system uses indirect evaporative cooling, efficient fans, sensors, and very few moving parts, which together results in significant energy savings. Full Story...


A Key Internship, 4 Pilots, and $2.6M

Oregon BEST portfolio company, Indow Windows, sees success  

 

Indow Windows & Sam Pardue Thermal window insert maker Indow Windows has completed a $2.6 million Series A financing round that will help the company continue its growth trajectory.

 

An internship funded by Oregon BEST and filled by a PSU graduate student in Geographic Information Systems helped the company create a database of owner-occupied older houses across the U.S. that have architecturally significant windows. That project has helped Indow Windows recruit new dealers in 26 states.

 

And a Commercialization Grant from Oregon BEST funded four pilot tests of Indow Windows installed in homes. Performed by researchers from the Green Building Research Lab at PSU (an Oregon BEST signature facility), the tests showed that the thermal window inserts cut energy costs by almost 20 percent! Full Story...

 
5th Agenda Development Forum a Success

Participants discussed green chemistry research opportunities 

On Nov. 6th, 30 representatives from Oregon's chemistry departments, the design and construction industry, manufacturing, and government agencies gathered at OSU to discuss key opportunities for Oregon research to meet the green materials needs of industry.

 

Our panelists - John Frazier of Nike, Tammy Ayers of Steelcase, and Tom Schneider of Building Envelope Innovations - led an introductory discussion about their companies' respective challenges and priorities in materials and green chemistry innovation. The half-day event provided a valuable start to a longer discussion about Oregon's opportunity to have relevance on a national, even global, scale.

 

Stay tuned for the results of this forum on our Agenda Development Series resources page, and consider participating in our next Agenda Development Forum, on Modular Construction, in February 2014

 
Our New Outreach & Engagement Manager

Newest hire will help grow Oregon BEST FEST and build outreach 

Gwenyth Barrow We're happy to announce that Gwenyth Barrow has joined Oregon BEST as our new Outreach & Engagement Manager. She'll be helping coordinate our events (including Oregon BEST FEST and our Agenda Development Series), website, communications, marketing, branding, collateral, and competitions. 

 

Prior to joining Oregon BEST, Gwenyth worked for five years in the National Park Service Museum Program at Yosemite. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Arts in Writing from the University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom. Please help us give her a warm welcome!


Puralytics Raises $4M, Lands Key Patent 

Oregon BEST portfolio company on a roll with water purification 

 

Puralytics SolarBags in Africa Puralytics, maker of solar- and LED-activated water purification systems, has been granted a key patent for its innovative nanotechnology.

 

The company also recently attracted $4 million of Series A investments, that will be used to accelerate its sales pipeline, product development, and operational capabilities.

 

Last spring, Oregon BEST awarded a team of OSU researchers a Commercialization Grant to help Puralytics test its solar-activated "lily pad" technology, which can be used to treat stormwater runoff in open ponds, ditches, or rain catchment systems. Full Story...

 

NOTE: Puralytics is working with a number of government agencies, emergency response, and aid organizations in the Philippines directly and through its distribution partners to help ensure safe drinking water. You can donate here.


Green Roof Lab Located on Walmart
Oregon BEST lab at PSU to tap retailer's green roof for research

Oregon BEST researchers from Portland State University's Green Building Research Laboratory (a signature research facility of Oregon BEST) are building a green roof research site atop a new Walmart store in Portland.

 

The research team will wire 40,000 square feet of vegetative roof with sensors and a weather station in a two-year partnership to study how the roof filters rainwater, enhances energy efficiency, mitigates urban heat island issues, and improves wildlife habitat.

 

An additional 52,000-square-feet of traditional white membrane roofing will provide an ideal side-by-side test bed for measuring and comparing building performance data. Full Story...

 
We Welcome Four New Board Members 

Industry representative and an Oregon Tech provost elected

 
We're pleased to welcome the following new members to the Oregon BEST Board of Directors (pictured, left-to-right):
  • Jud Virden, Associate Laboratory Director for the Energy and Environment Directorate at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, WA
  • Michael Baker, Managing Partner, The Baker Group LLP with offices in Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver, BC
  • Cynthia Powell, Director of the Office of Research & Development for the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) with offices in Albany, OR, Pittsburgh, PA, and Morgantown, WV
  • Mateo Aboy, Associate Provost and Vice President for Research at Oregon Tech

These new members replace outgoing board members Wade Mosby of The Collins Companies, Rod Quinn of PNNL, and Charlie Jones of Oregon Tech. Previous board chair Dennis Wilde of Gerding Edlen will stay on as an ex-officio member for one year. 

 
Brewery Wastewater Treatment Powers Up 

OSU startup installs microbial fuel cell at brewery

Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant winner Waste2Watergy is creating a good buzz in the beer brewing industry with installation of a prototype of its microbial fuel cell at Widmer Brothers Brewing in Portland, where microbes are treating wastewater while generating power.

"The project has been going well and we are eager to see the results," says Julia Person, Widmer's Sustainability Coordinator. "The microbes are adjusting to the make-up of our wastewater, and we are already learning things about the characteristics of our effluent and some simple ideas around treatment. A scalable solution of this technology would have a big impact on our operations." Full Story...

Monitoring Microbes in Buildings

Oregon BEST faculty study the impacts of ventilation on microbes

 

A team of University of Oregon faculty that includes Oregon BEST Researchers G.Z. "Charlie" Brown (center) and Jessica Green is studying how ventilation and the trillions of microbes that reside with us inside buildings impact human health. Although many people spend 90 percent of their lives inside buildings, researchers say we know very little about the biology of the built environment. 

 

Brown directs the UO's Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory, an Oregon BEST signature facility with locations in Eugene and Portland. A recently completed test chamber at the lab's Portland location provides a venue where the researches can precisely control temperature, airflow, humidity, and other variables. Green directs the UO's Biology and the Built Environment Center, a national research center devoted to the study of the microbial ecosystems of indoor spaces. Full Story...

 
Oregon BEST Companies Win Awards

Puralytics and Columbia Green Technologies honored for innovation

Columbia Green CEO Vanessa Keitges and Puralytics CEO Mark Owen

Two of Oregon BEST's portfolio companies, Puyralytics and Columbia Green Technologies, have been awarded "Innovation in Sustainability" Awards by the Portland Business Journal. 

 

Puralytics, maker of solar-activated water purification systems, took top honors in the "Water" category. An Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant is helping the company team with OSU researchers to test a floating 'lily pad' technology that can be deployed in ponds to treat stormwater runoff. 

 

Columbia Green Technologies, a Portland eco-roof technology company, won the "Natural Environments" category. An Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant is helping the company work with PSU researchers to provide test data on the impact of its product on urban stormwater runoff. Full Story...

From wave energy impacts to biodiesel production...
 
Oregon BEST Researchers IN THE NEWS

��� SARAH HENKEL, Environmental Research Director at the NW National Marine Renewable Energy Center, has secured $550,000 to study the impacts of sound from the intallation of wave energy devices and to characterize fish communities near wave energy deployments and compare them to adjacent natural reefs to determine differences in attraction. More



... BROOK MULLER, Associate Professor of Architecture and Associate Dean of the University of Oregon's School of Architecture & Allied Arts, is helping orchestrate a visit by 10 professional architects from Xian Dai Architectural Design Group in China to the School for 10 weeks of intensive study in sustainable architecture. The visit bolsters the university's top-ranked standing in sustainable design education. More.
 
 
 
��� GORAN JOVANOVIC, an OSU professor of chemical engineering, is developing a tiny chemical reactor that can convert vegetable oil directly into biodiesel. The research could help farmers turn some of their crops into homegrown fuel for agricultural equipment instead of relying on transported fossil fuels. More.



�� PALLAVI DHAGAT, an associate professor in the OSU School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, has published a study about the combination of heat, chemotherapeutic drugs, and an innovative delivery system based on nanotechnology that might significantly improve the treatment of ovarian cancer while reducing side effects from toxic drugs. More.


 
... RICHARD CHARTOFF, UO Research Professor in the Dept. of Chemistry and Director of the Polymer Characterization and Thermal Analysis Laboratory at the Center for Advanced Materials Characterization in Oregon, received a $100,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a condom that is thinner, stronger, and imbedded with nanoparticals to help combat sexually transmitted disease. More.
 
 
 
Douglas Keszler, OSU ��� DOUGLAS KESZLER, OSU professor of chemistry, and colleagues have announced a scientific advance that has eluded researchers for 100 years - a platform to study and fully understand the aqueous chemistry of aluminum, one of the world's most important metals. The findings should open the door to significant advances in fields ranging from electronics and manufacturing to agriculture and water treatment. More


The nexus for clean technology innovation, Oregon BEST builds capability, convenes collaborations, and accelerates the solutions to environmental challenges that deliver prosperity in all corners of Oregon. Our founding partner universities include Oregon State University, the Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon.

Oregon BEST � PO Box 212 � Portland, OR 97207-0212
Tel. 503-725-9849 � On the web: oregonbest.org