Chamber Chorale member Dean Webster develops bio-based resins
Published: 2011-08-10 00:00:00Posted by: NDSU News
A team of scientists and engineers at NDSU was awarded a two-year $200,000 grant by the North Dakota Renewable Energy Council to fund a portion of a project titled "Biobased Non-Isocyanate Urethane Hybrid Resins for Pultrusion Composites." NDSU and Tecton Products LLC, Fargo, are collaborating on the research that aims to help meet market demand for "green" composite building materials.
Composites are traditionally made from glass fibers held together with a petrochemical-based binder resin. The interdisciplinary research team will develop new types of bio-based binder resins from agricultural products such as soybean oil, cellulose and sugar.
Representatives on the collaborative research team include Chad Ulven, assistant professor, mechanical engineering; Dean Webster, professor, coatings and polymeric materials; Dennis Wiesenborn, professor, and Judith Espinoza Perez, postdoctoral research fellow, agricultural and biosystems engineering; and personnel from Tecton Products LLC.
Using various chemical reactions on the agricultural raw materials, a series of candidate resins will be prepared for use in composites. The resins in composites will then be tested to identify the most promising resin candidates. NDSU and Tecton will collaborate to scale up the most promising resin systems for testing in a production environment.
"This type of material could be used in building products to meet a growing demand for ‘green’ composite materials," Ulven said. The resulting product would be expected to have low or no volatile organic compounds. Such a product also may have enhanced physical properties, compared to its traditional counterpart. If successful, the composite materials could be commercialized and manufactured with the novel resin being developed with agricultural products.
The North Dakota Renewable Energy Council, under the State Industrial Commission, provided funding for the research to promote the growth of North Dakota’s renewable energy industries through research, development, marketing and education.
The project underscores interdisciplinary research of scientific and engineering leaders to innovate in the area of renewable building products. In addition to North Dakota Industrial Commission funds, the North Dakota Soybean Council awarded $80,000 to support the research project.
Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Chorale Receives Arts Grant
Published: 2011-08-01 00:00:00Posted by: Brian K Wittman In support of their efforts to provide programming in their community, the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Chorale applied for and was awarded a $3930.00 Institutional Support grant by the North Dakota Council on the Arts.
The Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Chorale was among 55 recipients of Institutional Support funding. The Institutional Support program is designed to benefit artists, arts organizations and the general public. The program provides general support for qualifying arts and cultural organizations that have proven they have strong management and leadership, quality artistic programming, and are an important part of the arts infrastructure in their communities. A total of $419,594 was awarded in this grant round.
This grant will help to provide the funds necessary to produce three public concerts of choral music in the Fargo-Moorhead area, a collaborative appearance with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony and a collaborative appearance in a neighboring North Dakota community.
Karin Almjeld, president of the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Chorale, states: "This grant award makes it possible, in a very real way, for the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Chorale to continue to perform choral music with artistry and precision to enrich and enhance the lives of all who listen."
The Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Chorale begins its thirty-first performance season. Founded in 1980, the auditioned ensemble of approximately forty singers performs choral music from all periods, Renaissance to Contemporary. They rehearse from September through June each academic year, and present a three concert season, has regularly collaborated with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony and has been a featured performing organization the Classical Music Festival sponsored by the Fargo Park District. For more information on the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Chorale, please visit www.fmchamberchorale.org.
The North Dakota Council on the Arts is the state agency responsible for the support and development of the arts throughout North Dakota, and is funded by the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on this and other grant programs, visit the North Dakota Council on the Arts web site at www.nd.gov/arts/ or contact the NDCA directly at jwebb@nd.gov or by calling 701-328-7590.
For Information contact:
Brian Wittman (218) 233-7759
Sheila Christiansen, General Manager, (701) 491-2910
Prairie Pulse Interview
Published: 2011-02-14 00:00:00Posted by: Brian K Wittman Prairie Public TV's Prairie Pulse interviewed our Artistic Director!