May 08, 2006 – Poway, CA (Monday, May 8, 2006) – The National Science Foundation has funded a multimillion dollar engineering research center based at Princeton University. The center – dubbed MIRTHE, for Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment, will focus on research that is expected to revolutionize sensor technology. The center will study and develop devices that uniquely detect minute amounts of chemicals found in the atmosphere, emitted from factories, or exhaled in human breath.
Daylight Solutions is an active Corporate Partner of MIRTHE, and will participate in the development of extremely low cost chemical detection sensors for use in multiple applications. Core institutional partners with Princeton are the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Rice University, Johns Hopkins University, Texas A&M University and the City College of New York.
“The NSF funding of MIRTHE is a milestone for the Mid IR community. It signifies that the NSF and the US nation as a whole recognize the fundamental importance of the Mid IR to many economically important sectors of the economy. This award also recognizes the excellence embodied by the entire MIRTHE team. Daylight Solutions is excited to be an Industrial Affiliate of such a important National Center of Excellence.” Says Daylight Solutions CEO and CTO, Dr. Timothy Day.
The NSF has agreed to provide $15 million in funding over five years, with the possibility of renewal for another five years. Through additional funding from corporate partners and other sources, the center is expected to conduct more than $40 million in research and educational activities over 10 years. NSF funding started May 1 with $2.97 million for the first year.
Daylight Solutions is a developer of molecular detection and imaging instruments for both mainstream and scientific applications in multiple markets. The company’s platform technology consists of miniature, mid-infrared laser engines that are broadly tunable and operate at room temperatures. This enables small, hand-held, portable instruments, which are extremely sensitive to the presence of small amounts of molecules in natural environments.
MIRTHE is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center, one of several interdisciplinary centers located at universities across the United States. The centers are among the foundation’s largest and most prestigious grants. Claire Gmachl, associate professor of electrical engineering at Princeton has been named the center’s director.