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Vision/Mission Established in 2003, the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation is a center of excellence in sustainable engineering focusing on the design of sustainable neighborhoods. We encourage and nurture new collaborative projects based on strong and innovative research, translating the fundamental science of sustainability into real products and processes. Our goal is to create innovations that positively impact the environment and improve quality of life. Our research includes projects on greening the built environment, the more sustainable use of water, and the design of distributed power systems.
Fast Facts >> Residential and commercial buildings account for 39 percent of U.S. primary energy use, 70 percent of U.S. electricity consumption, 30 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and 12 percent of potable water in the United States.
>> It is estimated that water and wastewater infrastructure repair costs may be as much as $745 billion to $1 trillion over the next 20 years.
>> It is estimated that 2–3 billion people currently lack access to clean water and that 10,000–30,000 people die each day from water-born diseases.
>> The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that deferred maintenance for highways and bridges totals a staggering $10.3 billion. www.mascarocenter.pitt.edu
Research The Mascaro Center engages a core team of researchers who are passionate about sustainability and whose expertise has led to novel and revolutionary solutions to problems related to sustainable innovation. All Mascaro Center-funded projects share a close relationship to sustainable design and global importance and a strong connection to quality of life. The Mascaro Center draws on the collective knowledge and experience of faculty and PhD students from all six departments in the Swanson School of Engineering as well as collaborative partnerships with the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and Schools of Education, Medicine, Public and International Affairs, and Public Health as well as the Center for Latin American Studies.
Areas of Focus >> Green Building Design and Construction: fast payback systems for energy use reduction, melding aesthetics and sustainability, existing structures, life cycle assessment
>> Infrastructure: nondestructive evaluation, minimally invasive analysis and rejuvenation, water and power distribution and transport networks
>> Materials: reducing embedded energy and water, reducing volume of materials to landfill, eliminating materials with toxicity problems through green design www.mascarocenter.pitt.edu/research
Education The Mascaro Center’s educational programs include innovative multidisciplinary courses, collaborative community education projects, summer research programs for undergraduates, and fellowships for graduate students. These programs have a strong history of attracting excellent students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Fast Facts >> Undergraduate summer research programs enable students to develop their own ideas, working independently or in small groups on hands-on research projects in sustainable engineering with guidance from a faculty mentor.
>> The Mascaro Center offers multiple opportunities for students to live and work cross culturally, learning how to address sustainability issues and develop green technologies around the world.
>> Working across departmental boundaries, the Mascaro Center offers both undergraduate and graduate courses on a variety of topics related to sustainability. Students gain real-world experience in such areas as entrepreneurship and product realization. www.mascarocenter.pitt.edu/prospective-students
Community An important aspect of the Mascaro Center’s mission is ensuring that its research is translated into real products and processes that benefit our community and beyond. Faculty and students regularly consult and collaborate both regionally and nationally with nonprofits, government agencies, and corporations on important sustainability topics. In addition, collaboration with local school districts and education nonprofits has enabled the center to introduce young people throughout the region to the concepts of science, engineering, and sustainability at the K–12 level.
Fast Facts >> The Mascaro Center hosts a biannual international conference to explore the state-of-the-art in sustainability research. Experts from academia, industry, and government convene to address the global challenges we face in becoming a more sustainable community as well as the progress we are making to this end.
>> The Vandergrift Improvement Project, made up of a group of local citizens, is working with the Mascaro Center to improve the town of Vandergrift, Pa., both economically and environmentally using principles of sustainability.
>> The center works with local school districts helping to create new green curricula for middle and high school students. www.mascarocenter.pitt.edu/community
How to get involved We are always looking for partners to collaborate on projects that have an impact on the community and that build our students’ real-world engineering skills. Interested students should visit our Web site at www.mascarocenter.pitt.edu/prospective-students to apply for one of several undergraduate research grant or graduate fellowship programs. Those who would like more information about partnering with the Mascaro Center on community projects should visit our Web site at www.mascarocenter.pitt.edu/community or contact mcsi@pitt.edu. Prospective faculty/researchers should visit our Web site at www.mascarocenter.pitt.edu/people/ faculty-recruitment.php.
Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering Phone: 412-624-6718 E-mail: mcsi@pitt.edu
Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution. Published in cooperation with the Department of University Marketing Communications. UMC66640-0209