Morgan State University Receives $2.4M Grant To Lead Project Converting Nuclear Radiation Into Electrical Energy – AfroTech
Morgan State University has received a grant to support an energy research project.
According to a press release, the university’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) has been awarded a $2.4 million grant by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, to lead Rads to Watts, a project that will convert nuclear radiation into electrical energy. Morgan State University becomes the first historically Black college and university (HBCU) to lead a project from the DARPA.
“This award reflects the strength of our research and our ability to lead high-impact federally funded projects that address complex national challenges,” said Oscar Barton Jr., dean of the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. School of Engineering, in a press release. “It also highlights Morgan’s continued growth as a leader in advanced engineering research and innovation.”
Dr. Michael Spencer, a professor of electrical and computer Engineering, leads the Rads to Watts project.
“We are excited to participate in DARPA’s project Rads to Watts … Our goal is to show that a scaled system can meet demanding performance, safety, and durability requirements, while laying the groundwork for future, even higher-power implementations,” he said in the press release.
Under his guidance, a team of researchers at Morgan State will partner with organizations that include Northrop Grumman, Widetronix, Omega Project, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Applied Research Associates, according to the press release.
Specifically, the project will use technology to generate electricity from radioactive emissions. Researchers from ECE will be working to develop Symphonee, a device backed by more than 20 years of research by scientists at Morgan State University.
According to the news release, the device “is a multi-junction silicon carbide (SIC) PIN structure designed to operate with strontium-90 and yttrium-90 radioisotopes. If successfully developed and commercialized, the technology could generate kilowatts of power for remote locations such as the Arctic or space, with additional potential applications in implantable medical devices.”
The Rads to Watts project is initially funded for 15 months, per the release, but could receive additional funding options of $937,489 for nine months and $28,237 for six months. If all options are used, this would mean $3.3 million in total funding for the project.
