UCF Engineering, Chemistry Professors Inducted Into Space Technology Hall of Fame

University of Central Florida professors Christian Clausen, Cherie Geiger and Debra Reinhart have been inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame. Along with two NASA Kennedy Space Center employees, they were honored for their development of technology known as Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron, which reduces groundwater contamination.

Clausen and Geiger are chemistry professors, and Reinhart is a professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Since 1988, the Space Foundation, in cooperation with NASA, has inducted into the Space Hall of Fame more than 40 technologies and honored hundreds of organizations and individuals for their efforts. Inductions recognize space technology innovators, increase public awareness of the benefits of space technology and encourage further innovation.

"This was the result of the efforts of a multi-disciplinary team, where each brought particular skills and abilities to the team," said Reinhart, who is executive associate dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. "The product of our efforts will make a big difference in how we are able to tackle some challenging environmental problems imposed by contamination that is difficult to clean up."

Cleaning up chemicals used years ago to flush rocket engines and other space industry equipment has proved challenging because the chemicals seeped deep into the ground and contaminated the aquifers. The UCF discovery has led to the first efficient method for cleaning up the sources of the underground contamination by chlorinated solvents that are from the same family as dry-cleaning fluids.

The Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron technology also won NASA's Government Invention of the Year and Commercial Invention of the Year for 2005. In addition, the group received a 2006 Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer. The technology was field tested by the U.S. Department of Defense. It also has been used by governments and industry in Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, New Jersey and Florida and by other governmental agencies.

"This technology will be instrumental in helping companies and municipalities to clean up and meet state and federal regulatory standards that have been difficult to meet in the past," said Reinhart.