Research

Developed with the input of the RENEW steering committee – a new governance framework established by Director Diana Aga – RENEW has four Focus Areas that are rooted in established strengths of the UB research community, and responsive to pressing, under-addressed social needs.

RENEW Focus Areas

  • Climate Change and Socioeconomic Impacts
    3/17/22
    Prediction, Mitigation, Resiliency, Health Equity impacts of climate change. Role of new materials and materials assembly, manufacturing for resilient infrastructure. Designing materials that address climate change challenges (e.g. carbon sequestration/ greenhouse gas emission reduction via development of more efficient materials); Identification and evaluation of health equity challenges related to climate in vulnerable populations and evidence for mitigation strategies. 
  • Environmental Pollution and Human Health Implications
    3/15/22
    Testing, data analysis, solutions for air/water/industrial/agricultural pollution; Pollution as a social determinant of health, pollution health impact assessment. Materials-driven assessment design and solutions.  Development of “safer” materials that account for full life cycle impact, e.g., role of environmental impact materials disposal, especially with regard to the health equity impact on fenceline communities.
  • Renewable Energy and Sustainable Communities
    3/15/22
    Cleaner energy production, storage, distribution, and utilization; next-generation materials and technology; environmental justice, policy, and economics; computational techniques to optimize existing technologies; sustainable urban development, adoption of scalable traditional practices for modern cities 
  • Sustainable Water and Engineered Systems
    3/31/22
    Assessment of the quality and quantity of ground, surface, reclaimed, marine, and fresh water; data analytics and visualization; water and soil systems through an environmental justice lens; socio-ecological impacts of water pollution; advances in pollution treatment and development of novel materials for remediation; water reuse and resilience, including desalination; aquatic ecosystems. 
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  • ALERT
    9/13/23
    The Aga Lab for Environmental Research and Testing (ALERT) was founded by Principal Investigator Dr. Diana Aga. ALERT’s scientists investigate the fate and transport of contaminants in the environment, such as persistent organic pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, endocrine disrupting chemicals, and engineered nanomaterials. Additionally, ALERT is involved in global monitoring of antibiotics in wastewater treatment plants and receiving waters, in an effort to track antibiotic resistance in the environment. ALERT also investigates the bioaccumulation and effects of chemical contaminants in humans, fish, and wildlife.