Biomaterials Lab
Plastic insulation like Styrofoam is commonplace in seafood packaging and buildings. But plastics never completely disappear, instead they break up into ever smaller particles or microplastic. These tiny particles are harmful to the soils, marine environment and wildlife, and may affect human health.
Researchers with the Biomaterials Lab seek to better understand the effects of these stray plastic bits. The team is working to solve the global plastic pollution problem by developing insulation that is recyclable, reusable, and biodegradable. Researchers combine design-thinking, microbiology, and physics to dream-up scalable biological materials that store carbon and provide a sustainable vital barrier from the elements.
Their key ingredients to de-carbonizing industries include beetle-kill spruce trees and renewable cellulose that is literally grown in a lab. The Biomaterials Lab is an active innovation platform for new bio-based materials and circular bio-economy solutions in the Circumpolar North. The lab uses norm-critical design thinking as a framework to tackle some of the most pressing environmental and public health problems facing the Arctic today.
NEWS & Stories
The Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS) released a new report about the health of women who have experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Physical violence is a part of IPV, but it also includes things like controlling behaviors, threats of harm, and inflicting harm against people and things an intimate partner cares about. Dr. Ingrid Johnson with AVS told the Alaska Beacon these sorts of behaviors can have a lasting impact.
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Phone: 907-786-6574
Email: nbbeckage@alaska.edu
