Five innovative research projects addressing sustainability challenges have secured funding through the Sustainability Catalyst Grant program at the University of Michigan’s Graham Sustainability Institute. These projects, spanning PFAS detection to sustainable fashion futures, demonstrate U-M’s dedication to community collaboration and scalable solutions for a more equitable and resilient world.
“The Catalyst Grant Program bridges academic research with real-world impact,” stated Jennifer Haverkamp, Director of the Graham Sustainability Institute. “These projects showcase how cross-sector collaboration can drive meaningful change, from safer drinking water to sustainable healthcare practices and resilient economies.”
This year’s funded teams unite researchers, community groups, industry partners, and public bodies to create inclusive, practical, and measurable solutions. Highlighted is a project mapping Michigan’s natural fiber ecosystem, led by principal investigator Melissa Duhaime, aiming to establish “Fibershed Thinking.”
Duhaime notes the project fosters interdisciplinary ties to prepare future leaders in sustainable fashion and regenerative materials. “This will lead to new research collaborations and courses that train future innovators in sustainable fashion rooted in regenerative agro- and material ecology,” she explains.
Off campus, collaboration with Michigan Fibershed and Fibershed.org aims to develop a survey framework to bolster regional textile economies by identifying local producers and supply chain gaps. The project intends to influence policy and shift industry norms toward regenerative practices.
The idea had been developing for years, Duhaime notes, but the Catalyst Grant Program’s structure and timing of partnerships brought it to fruition. “The program’s real-world translation focus was a major draw,” she said. “As someone trained in basic research, this program offers a rare opportunity to pivot.”
Another project, led by Nikita Consul, targets reducing radiology’s carbon footprint without sacrificing care quality. Medical imaging contributes about 1% of global greenhouse emissions, so her team evaluates energy demands of protocols and develops sustainability-integrated decision tools.
Consul, a clinical radiologist with engineering and sustainability expertise, found the Catalyst Grant Program a unique chance to merge past and present work. “When I saw the Catalyst Grants email, I was already developing an idea and wasn’t afraid to apply outside usual channels,” she said.
Other projects in this Catalyst Grant cycle include:
- Developing sensor technology to detect PFAS in water, with Helen of Troy, maker of PUR water filtration products;
- Analyzing socio-environmental impacts of a major e-waste recycling hub in Accra, Ghana, to guide urban policy;
- Co-creating a community data tool to track and reduce energy shutoffs in Detroit with the Energy Equity Project and the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition.
Each project not only generates new knowledge but also translates it into action—supporting communities, promoting equitable outcomes, and shaping systems for a sustainable future.
For more details on each project, visit the Catalyst Grant webpage at graham.umich.edu/catalyst.
Innovating Sensor Technology for Safer Water
PFAS chemicals, persistent and harmful, are a top water monitoring priority. New EPA regulations demand strict PFAS limits in drinking water, urging faster, cost-effective detection methods.
This project aims to create a sensor to swiftly and selectively detect PFAS at EPA-compliant levels. Using molecularly imprinted polymers with gold electrodes, it recognizes specific PFAS molecules by electric signal changes. The sensor will first be fabricated and then tested in spiked water for accuracy, offering a comprehensive, cost-effective water monitoring solution.
Collaborator Helen of Troy, maker of PUR Water Filtration products, aids in refining sensor features like size and data management, ensuring practicality for consumers and large organizations.
Upon successful development, researchers will patent the sensor design. A sensor network could enable real-time PFAS monitoring across water systems, aiding proactive environmental and public health decision-making.
Project team: Mark Burns (Chemical Engineering); Robert Kennedy (Chemistry); Kate Manz (Environmental Health Sciences); Sanaz Habibi (Chemical Engineering); Alyssa Schubert (MIDAS)
Reducing Radiology’s Carbon Footprint Without Compromising Care
Radiology services account for about 1% of global greenhouse emissions. This impact could be lowered—alongside healthcare costs—by refining decision-making and optimizing imaging protocols for energy efficiency, especially in recurrent imaging scenarios.
This project evaluates the energy use of ultrasound, CT, and MRI imaging protocols to develop guidelines promoting energy-efficient options without compromising patient care. By integrating energy consumption with clinical data from the University of Michigan Health System, the team shows how modality selection affects patient care pathways and exam frequency.
Focusing on HCC screening in patients with chronic liver disease or hepatitis B, the team assesses current practices’ clinical and energy impacts, developing models to quantify energy trade-offs against clinical benefits.
The study aims to publish updated guidelines incorporating sustainability while maintaining care standards. These guidelines, distributed through societies like the Radiological Society of North America, will influence medical decision-making nationwide and reduce radiology’s environmental footprint.
Project team: Nikita Consul (Department of Radiology); Shelie Miller (School for Environment and Sustainability); Geoffrey Lewis (School for Environment and Sustainability); Katherine Maturen (RSNA Sustainability Task Force)
Mapping a Sustainable Future for Local Fiber Economies
The textile industry, responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, faces challenges of waste, pollution, and labor exploitation. The U.S. natural fiber textile production industry, undergoing revitalization, offers a sustainable alternative by embracing circular economy principles and reducing synthetic reliance.
In partnership with Fibershed.org and Michigan Fibershed, this research team develops a fibershed ecosystem-mapping framework using Michigan Fibershed as a pilot. Fibershed refers to regions where natural fibers are sustainably produced and manufactured, with 79 global affiliates, including Michigan Fibershed.
U-M researchers, Fibershed.org, and Michigan Fibershed design a survey to assess Michigan’s natural fiber economy’s scale and connectivity, combining qualitative focus group insights with quantitative supply chain data. Collaboration ensures end-user integration throughout.
The framework, with survey design, preliminary data, and future survey tools, supports Fibershed affiliates worldwide, strengthening regional natural fiber economies while addressing Michigan Fibershed affiliate’s needs.
Project team: Melissa Duhaime (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology); M’Lis Bartlett (School for Environment and Sustainability); Joseph Trumpey (Stamps School of Art & Design); Erin Baker (Michigan Fibershed); Mitch Fehrle (Michigan Fibershed); Angie Martin (Michigan Fibershed); Courtney Lockemer (Fibershed.org)
Illuminating the Impact of E-Waste on Urban Evolution in Ghana
Agbogbloshie, a major electronic waste recycling site, neighbors Old Fadama, an informal settlement in Accra, Ghana. Home to over 100,000 people, many migrants work in hazardous conditions at or near the site. Despite risks, Agbogbloshie attracts labor due to the livelihoods it sustains, expanding Old Fadama as demand for e-waste recycling grows in Ghana.
This project compiles a comprehensive dataset on Old Fadama’s labor, health, and economic variables, filling data gaps to support informed policy interventions. Collaborating with local authorities and academics, researchers analyze migration, labor trends, and public health indicators to understand the settlement’s socio-economic and environmental dynamics.
Using Qualtrics, data from over 800 households will be collected and analyzed. Anonymized findings will be shared with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and University of Ghana, providing city officials and academics insights for urban planning and scholarship.
Creating this foundational dataset enables long-term tracking of socio-spatial changes and supports future studies on electronic waste recycling’s urban community impacts.
Project team: Brandon Marc Finn (School for Environment and Sustainability); Emily Treleaven (Institute for Social Research); Dimitris Gounaridis (School for Environment and Sustainability); Suchir Gupta (University of Michigan student); Eden Gbeckor-Kove (Accra Metropolitan Assembly); Ebenezer Forkuo Amankwaa (University of Ghana)
Confronting Energy Injustice with Community-Driven Solutions
Electricity shutoffs present a critical sustainability issue rooted in overlapping social, economic, and environmental injustices. Losing power disrupts employment, education, and health, especially in marginalized communities already facing climate risks. Shutoffs intensify energy insecurity, poverty, and hinder participation in energy-efficient, climate-resilient living.
Partnering with the Energy Equity Project (EEP) and Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition (MEJC), this project addresses energy shutoffs’ severe consequences in Detroit, focusing on Black and Latinx communities. DTE Energy reports some shutoff data, but lacks detail to fully understand impacts.
The project will develop a community-driven data tool to track shutoffs’ frequency, duration, and demographic disparities, paired with personal energy poverty narratives. Detroit residents will co-create the tool through workshops and design sessions, with multilingual options and simple submission forms for accessibility.
The resulting data will reveal shutoffs’ geographic distribution and their health and financial effects, supporting efforts to reduce disconnections and expand energy assistance. By providing communities and policymakers actionable insights, the project aims to strengthen grassroots advocacy, close data gaps, and advance energy justice across Detroit.
Project team: Tony Reames (School for Environment and Sustainability); Marie O’Neill (School of Public Health); Justin Schott (School for Environment and Sustainability); Rahul Agrawal Bejarano (Energy Equity Project); Anne Marie Hertl (Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition (MEJC)); Chris Gilmer-Hill (MEJC); Xandr Brown (MEJC); Andrew Kaplowitz (MEJC)
The catalyst grant program at the Graham Sustainability Institute is administered by Maggie Allan ([email protected]) and Sarah Miller ([email protected]). Visit graham.umich.edu/catalyst to learn more about the program.
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