University of Utah receives $1.4M investment from Energy Department

SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah has been awarded a $1,460,285 investment by the U.S. Department of Energy, the White House Press Office announced Monday.

The award was one of 13 projects to receive an investment from the Department of Energy, totaling more than $54 million. The projects were selected as part of an Obama administration strategy for investing in emerging technologies to create domestic manufacturing jobs.

“By investing in breakthrough technologies that can drastically reduce the amount of energy consumed during manufacturing, the Energy Department is supporting President Obama’s blueprint for an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, and skills for American workers,” U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a prepared statement.

The university is currently working on a number of new methods for producing iron, steel and titanium that minimize costs and utilize alternative fuels.

"We are grateful for this recognition of our diligent work in the area of manufacturing research," metallurgical engineering professor Zak Fang said in a prepared statement. "We truly believe in our process and are excited about this breakthrough."

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