Holewinski

ChBE PhD student awarded Quad Fellowship

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 15:45:51 +0000

ChBE PhD student awarded Quad Fellowship Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/01/2024 - 09:45

Todd Whittaker, a Chemical and Biological Engineering PhD student in the Holewinski and Musgrave research groups, has been awarded the Quad Fellowship, a prestigious fellowship for citizens of the "Quad countries" (USA, Japan, India and Australia). Whittaker, a citizen of Australia, was one of 50 students selected as a 2024 Quad Fellow. The fellowship is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), a global not-for-profit organization managing prestigious scholarship and fellowship programs.

The Quad Fellowship aims to build connections among the next generation of scientists and technologists by fostering academic excellence and promoting cross-cultural understanding. The award will support Whittaker's research on catalytic phenomena in electrochemical devices such as fuel cells, electrolyzers and batteries. With the expected rapid increase in renewable electricity, Whittaker's research aims to develop rigorous experimental and theoretical frameworks to understand what drives reactivity at electrochemical interfaces and leverage those insights to design superior catalysts for a more sustainable future.

"I am extremely proud to represent Australia as a scientist at this scale," Whittaker said. "I come from a small town in rural Australia, where this career path is relatively uncommon. It excites me to know that my research, which is mostly directed at engineering renewable energy systems, will contribute to the long-term protection of vulnerable rural communities like mine."

Now in its second year, the Quad Fellowship supports exceptional master's and doctoral students pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the United States. Initially supporting students from the four Quad countries, the program has expanded this year to include students from various ASEAN countries.

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Assistant Professor Adam Holewinski approved for tenure

Anonymous — Thu, 11 May 2023 22:27:03 +0000

Assistant Professor Adam Holewinski approved for tenure Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/11/2023 - 16:27

Congratulations to Adam Holewinski, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, for being approved for tenure at the April 28 University of Colorado Boulder Board of Regents meeting. Holewinski leads the Holewinski Research Group, which focuses on “efficient, renewable and environmentally benign catalytic processes for the production of energy, as well as commodity and fine chemicals.” Beginning in late August, he will spend five months as a 2023 Fulbright Scholar at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), conducting research, advising graduate students and giving research talks at various universities in Denmark.

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Adam Holewinski receives Fulbright to synthesize renewable fuels and chemicals

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 16:05:15 +0000

Adam Holewinski receives Fulbright to synthesize renewable fuels and chemicals Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 04/09/2023 - 10:05

Susan Glairon

Adam Holewinski, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, has been awarded a prestigious fellowship to research efficient ways to produce sustainable chemical products and fuels using electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind.

Beginning in late August, Holewinski will spend five months as a 2023 Fulbright Scholar at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), conducting research, advising graduate students and giving research talks at various universities in Denmark. Holewinski also hopes to establish ongoing collaborations between CU Boulder and DTU, and possibly with other Danish institutions, including student exchanges.

“It’s a new experience, both professionally getting to explore some new research avenues and personally getting to spend five months in Europe,” Holewinski said. “I haven’t been out of the country much, so I am looking forward to it.”

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers opportunities to teach, research and conduct professional projects in more than 135 countries and to expand American partnerships and share knowledge. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as a demonstrated leadership in their field.

A wide array of new opportunities

For Holewinski, the Fulbright award is an opportunity to advance the work of the Holewinski Research Group, which focuses on “efficient, renewable and environmentally benign catalytic processes for the production of energy, as well as commodity and fine chemicals.”

Producing chemical products like fuels, plastics and fertilizers very often requires a catalyst, a substance that speeds up chemical reactions and reduces the amount of energy used to drive the reaction. Usually this energy comes from heat derived from burning fossil fuels, but Holewinski’s research involves using electricity from renewable sources.

His research also involves designing new catalysts to convert renewable carbon sources such as sugars from biomass (e.g., plants or algae) into fuels that could replace fossil fuels and reduce harmful emissions. These renewable carbon sources can also be converted (using new catalysts) to create the organic building blocks needed to make sustainable, recyclable plastics.

Holewinski said that combining renewable electricity, catalysis and sustainable raw materials such as bio-carbon "introduces a wide array of new opportunities." For example, one common area of electro-catalysis research relates to splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Hoelwisnski said that it is theoretically possible to swap out the oxygen-producing reaction with something that generates other useful chemicals as reactions that produce each gas occur in separate compartments of an electrochemical cell.

"Hydrogen is valuable, as it can be used as a 'clean' fuel, but there is not a commensurate need for synthetic oxygen," Holewinski said.

His research involves developing the right catalyst to replace the reaction that makes oxygen with one that makes a high-value chemical, such as plant-based building blocks for plastics. Another research direction involves “rewiring” the oxidation catalyst to turn water into hydrogen peroxide, which is later used in a variety of chemical syntheses, as well as for water treatment and bleaching in the pulp and paper industry.

Overall, Holewinski says his research could lead to a decrease in emissions during the manufacturing of chemical products. The more efficiently it can be done with less infrastructure, such as requiring fewer solar panels to create the electricity, the closer his research will be to competitively creating alternatives to fossil fuels.

But, he says, his research is a long way from producing results that would improve the life of the average person.

“It would be very unrealistic to say I am going to go somewhere for five months and come out with a commercial product that will change the world,” Holewinski said. “The realistic hope is that we can bring some new methods and techniques to my research group so we can elevate the work we are doing.”

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High-Sensitivity Low-Energy Ion Scattering Spectrometer will be a transformative resource for materials research at CU Boulder

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 15:52:48 +0000

High-Sensitivity Low-Energy Ion Scattering Spectrometer will be a transformative resource for materials research at CU Boulder Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/01/2022 - 09:52

Jonathan Raab

CU Boulder’s East Campus is now home to the High-Sensitivity Low-Energy Ion Scattering (HS-LEIS) Spectrometer, a tool researchers from across the Rocky Mountain region will use for advanced materials characterization and analysis.

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Holewinski wins Scialog Award for negative emissions project

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 23:29:44 +0000

Holewinski wins Scialog Award for negative emissions project Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 01/24/2022 - 16:29

Eight cross-disciplinary teams working to advance fundamental science in the removal of greenhouse gases from Earth’s atmosphere and oceans will receive awards totaling $1,210,000 in the second year of the Scialog: Negative Emissions Science initiative, sponsored by Research Corporation for Science Advancement and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, with additional support from the Climate Pathfinders Foundation. The 22 individual awards of $55,000 will go to 20 researchers from a variety of institutions in the United States and Canada. Among the awardees is Adam Holewinski, Chemical & Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder.

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