Adelphi Awarded NSF Renewal Grant for Solar Energy Project with Warsaw University

Garden City, NY (07/14/2021) — The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Adelphi University a grant for an international research collaboration with Warsaw University. It will fund continuation of the US-Polish International Research Experiences for Students (IRES), focused on solar energy research.

The IRES project creates a unique three-year opportunity for U.S. students to acquire early career research abroad in the fields of materials science, nanotechnology and solar energy conversion working with renowned European scientists.

With the renewed support of the NSF grant, six US students a year, 18 total over three years, will be able to participate in the IRES project.

"This collaborative project, which has been running for several years, had a tremendous effect on those students," said Justyna Widera-Kalinowska, PhD, associate professor of chemistry at Adelphi and coordinator of the program. "Working side by side with world-renowned European scientists helped my students to get state-of-the-art training, preparing them for real-world challenges and turning them into young professionals and world citizens."

The project is offered in two tracks, Research Experience for Teacher (RET) and Student Opportunities of Learning Active Research with International Scientist (SOLARIS).

IRES students participate in research focused on development and characterization of new composite materials for alternative energy sources and environmental remediation applications. This project also will provide research expertise for teachers by exposing them to an innovative, hands-on approach to education, creating student-centered active learning environments in the classroom.

"The students from my research group, after graduation from Adelphi, are continuing their education in top schools in the US including Cornell, Princeton, University of California, and, in Europe, Delft University." Dr. Widera-Kalinowska said. "I am looking forward to continuing the great collaborative effort between Adelphi and Warsaw University that we started in 2014."

In addition to Dr. Widera-Kalinowska, the IRES project is led by an all-female team of academics, including Warsaw faculty members Prof. Magdalena Skompska, Prof. Renata Solarska and Dr. Magdalena Osial.

Learn more about the IRES program on the NSF site.

About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning

Adelphi University, New York, is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university dedicated to transforming students' lives through small classes with world-class faculty, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support academic and career success. Adelphi offers exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training, with particular strength in our Core Four-Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, the Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness.

Recognized as a Best College by U.S. News & World Report, Adelphi is Long Island's oldest private coeducational university. It serves more than 7,500 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York-just 23 miles from New York City's cultural and internship opportunities-and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, as well as online.

More than 118,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, engaged citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world.

###

Media Attachments

Adelphi students in front of the Copernicus statue in Torun, Poland.