The startup, , plans to use the new funding — via a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and $1 million in angel investment — to further their copper-based paste technology, called CuBert, invented and patented at UofL. The paste can replace silver components currently used in solar panels, making them less expensive to manufacture.��

“Silver is a huge issue for the industry because the price volatility and there may not be enough to produce the amount of solar panels needed,” said Thad Druffel, theme leader for solar manufacturing R&D at UofL’s . “We can solve it by changing one simple ingredient.”

Druffel invented the technology with former post-doctoral research associate, Ruvini Dharmadasa, and now is CEO of Bert Thin Films.��

According to , purchasing and installing a solar panel system can cost between $15,000 and $25,000, making them a big investment for people and companies wanting to reduce their carbon footprint. Druffel believes that by replacing silver components with CuBert paste, manufacturers can reduce their production costs significantly, which would reduce the cost to consumers.

With reduced costs, Druffel said, solar panels could become a more accessible and economical choice for consumers. According to the , opting for renewable energy sources, like solar power, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

The company plans to use the new funding to further de-risk the technology for the manufacturers. The Department of Energy grant, received in late 2021, is part of meant to help integrate clean energy sources into the U.S. electrical grid.��

The technology suite was patented through the UofL Office of Research and Innovation’s intellectual property and technology transfer arm, . The university supports its startups through , which works to make connections between entrepreneurs, funders and UofL-born intellectual property.��

“We love to see UofL startups succeed, and we’re very proud of Bert Thin Films for this recent funding,” said Will Metcalf, an associate vice president for research and innovation who leads UofL New Ventures. “The technology Bert Thin Films is commercializing has the potential to make a big impact in engineering a future economy driven by new energy materials and manufacturing processes.”

This initial facility is meant to serve as the foundation of a billion-dollar worldwide effort to grow large diamond stones for a myriad of applications, including gems. KAMM is the first to establish such capabilities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and one of only a handful of global players in this highly advanced field.

UofL’s Conn Center has conducted research on lab grown diamonds since 1997 and has a large interest in advanced materials, like diamond, for both power devices and biosensors. KAMM’s founder, Vikram M. Shah, sought out the Conn Center to be a U.S. partner in a pilot plant/demonstration facility. KAMM’s current facility is already 1 producing around 1,000 carats of diamond per month.

A long-term home for the large production facilities is still to be determined.

“We are exploring the USA to see where we can settle,” Shah said. “Our priority is Kentucky because of our great relationship with the Conn Center, but we are looking at various options.”

KAMM is a subsidiary of Da Vinci holdings, a global organization with existing operations spanning the entire diamond industry from jewelry manufacturing (cutting/polishing) to trading and distribution. In addition to KAMM, Da Vinci has also operated a diamond growing operation in India for the past decade and is currently establishing a similar operation in Limburg, Belgium. Shah is also founder and owner of Da Vinci holdings.

Diamonds are most commonly known for their beauty and brilliance with the jewelry industry serving as their largest market. Currently, most diamonds are extracted from mines around the world and sent for cutting and polishing in India and Israel. KAMM is producing the highest purity (category IIa or better) diamonds, which are prized for both gem applications (for their clarity and brilliance) as well as industrial applications (for their superior hardness, thermal conductivity, and electrical/optical properties). Only 2% of mined diamonds fall into the IIa category. KAMM’s Kentucky plant will produce diamonds which will then be cut, polished, and distributed in a similar manner to mined diamonds.

“Diamond is an advanced material with superlative properties making it the best choice for many technological applications, including those that enable connection of renewables to the grid,” explains Dr. Mahendra Sunkara, professor of Chemical Engineering and director of�� the Conn Center. “The availability of diamond wafers can make innovation possible with next generation renewable energy and biosensors.”

UofL President Neeli Bendapudi said attracting high tech research and manufacturing companies is critical to the success of the university.

“As the university enhances the business ecosystem through innovative research-based engagements, like this one, we also lay a foundation for increased economic impact. This partnership will drive more and more companies and startups to look to UofL and Louisville as the global intellectual capital of high-tech manufacturing,” she said.��

Per a report from Bain & Co., the current capacity of lab-grown diamonds for the gem market alone is estimated at 2 million carats per annum. By 2030, the market could increase to 10 million and 17 million carats per annum with a growth rate of 15 to 20 percent. Currently, about 150 million carats gems-grade natural diamonds are mined annually. Industrial applications for large single crystal diamond can be in the range of several billion dollars per year for power devices and sensors.

Eighteen-year-old incoming freshmen Ryan Shackleford and Katherine Grace Whitaker live close to the Daniel Boone National Forest, some 150 miles away from the University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus. Both will begin studies at UofL this fall, academic journeys inspired by a new type of high school summer camp at the .

Ryan, a graduate of Corbin High School, and Katherine, who graduated from Whitley County High School, live in a high poverty area the federal government has declared a “Promise Zone.” The program is aimed at improving the overall quality of life and, in Kentucky, the targeted area covers 3,071 square miles in Bell, Harlan, Letcher, Perry, Leslie, Clay and Knox counties and part of Whitley County. There are a total of 22 Promise Zone communities nationwide in a mix that includes urban, rural and tribal areas.

This summer marked the third year of the camp, which is designed to broaden interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.

focused on renewable energy with lessons and labs from researchers at the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research at Speed. This year, from July 9-13, a group of 23 Promise Zone students learned about 3D printing by designing and manufacturing small products at Speed’s Rapid Prototyping Center. They presented their products in a “Shark Tank”-like competition held on the final day of camp.

“It blew my mind what a 3D printer can do,” said Taylor Hall, 16, a Letcher County Central High School junior, whose team worked on a laser surgical cutting device that would replace the scalpel. “We had the best time ever. … I would love to come here.”��

Taylor and his teammate, 15-year-old Logan Thornton of Somerset High School, said they also enjoyed the extracurricular visits to Shakespeare in the Park and Louisville Mega Cavern, along with living in a college dormitory for a week.��

Ryan and Katherine were among the first group of Kentucky Promise Zone students who attended, also making visits to Louisville attractions while learning what UofL could offer them.

“Before attending the camp, I had not really put too much thought into where I would attend college, but the University of Louisville certainly wasn’t at the top of my list,” said Katherine, who was awarded a Grawemeyer Scholarship and a Vogt Scholarship and is considering majoring in psychology, biology or neuroscience. “I didn’t realize all the resources that were available at UofL, as there are very few people from my hometown who choose to attend there. After the camp, I became aware how much really was happening in Louisville, both at the university and in the surrounding city.”

Ryan, who secured a spot in the Guaranteed Entrance to Medical School (GEMS) program, plans to major in chemical engineering. He is also in the Honors Program and won a Grawemeyer Scholarship. He said the camp gave him his first real experience “working with physics,” and his favorite subjects were solar power and ion lithium batteries, as well as learning how an electron microscope works.

“For the most part, the camp gave me a more in-depth look and hands-on experience with subjects I only knew a little about,” Ryan said. “I had never been on the campus before until this camp. This camp opened up UofL as an option for me. I was surprised by how much I liked both the campus and the city of Louisville. UofL was not intimidating, but friendly and welcoming.”

Both Ryan and Katherine expressed their gratitude to the camp organizers.

“There are many students in this part of the state that are very intelligent and have a lot of potential, but do not get the opportunities that students from larger areas may receive,” Ryan said. “This camp gave students the opportunity to visit a large university outside of our local area.”

Katherine agreed.

“I think this camp is helping to provide unique and meaningful experiences for students in southeastern Kentucky that they otherwise may not be able to have,” she said.��

In May, the researchers won $1 million from the (CESMII) to find cheaper, more energy-efficient ways to produce portland cement, which is a critical component of concrete.

Portland cement is made by heating limestone to high temperatures and grinding it into a fine powder. The cement is mixed with water to make a paste, then further mixed with sand, gravel or crushed stone to make concrete. Total U.S. production of portland cement in 2017 was over 86.3 million metric tons, with energy costs of more than $7 billion.

The project’s goal is to transform the U.S. cement manufacturing industry by incorporating state-of-the-art monitoring, simulation and control systems that will significantly lower energy use, said Mahendra Sunkara, PhD, chemical engineering professor and director of the Conn Center, who led the effort to obtain the funding.

CESMII is a Los Angeles-based consortium of nearly 200 partners across academia, industry and non-profits that partners with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office. The Conn Center project is one of 10 funded by CESMII for a total of approximately $10 million.

The team at the Conn Center will be headed by W. Mark McGinley, PhD, endowed chair in infrastructure research and professor of civil and environmental engineering in the Speed School. In addition to Sunkara, also on the team are Thad Druffel, PhD, theme leader for solar manufacturing research and development at the Conn Center; and Aly Farag and Michael McIntyre, professors of electrical and computer engineering.

“Energy is a significant portion of the cost of cement production,” said McGinley. “Controlling firing temperatures and times will reduce cost and environmental impacts. These improvements make this industry more viable through adoption of smart manufacturing technologies and processes, improve their product, and help the planet.” �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ��

The project was one of 41 proposed to CESMII.

“This first set of projects will showcase the value and impact that smart manufacturing has across a broad set of industry opportunities” said Jim Wetzel, interim CEO of CESMII. ��

Those are just the tip of the iceberg of possible outcomes of work being done at the University of Louisville’s Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research, where on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 students and staff harvested “energy crops” planted near the .

2017 marked the second year that hemp and kenaf, an African fiber plant, were planted near Phoenix House, the Conn Center’s solar-powered administrative office building. The plants were an unusual site along the Eastern Parkway overpass, where they were sown in May and were the background of many a selfie.

The plants, both highly suitable to Kentucky’s growing conditions, are part of the Conn Center’s research into biofuels and biomass conversions. The UofL crop was one of eight at Kentucky colleges and universities grown as part of the state’s pilot program into field-scale industrial hemp, but the only one that will be used for energy research.

Industrial hemp is a variety of Cannabis sativa and is of the same plant species of marijuana. However it doesn’t contain high levels of THC, the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana that causes the marijuana high. Both hemp and marijuana are classified as Schedule 1 drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, and are illegal to produce in the United States.

In Kentucky, only those who are part of a Department of Agriculture research program into field-scale industrial hemp production may grow hemp. More than 3,200 acres of industrial hemp was grown in Kentucky in 2017, the department said.

The UofL crop expanded this year to a total area of just over one tenth of an acre, said Andrew Marsh, assistant director of the Conn Center.

Marsh planted the seeds in three plantings beginning in May. He had help from groundskeepers from Physical Plant and researchers from the University of Kentucky’s industrial hemp program.

After cutting down the plants, Marsh and students bundled and transported them to the Conn Center’s Science & Innovation Garage for Manufacturing Advancement, where they will dry.

“Once dried, the Conn Center’s Biofuels & Biomass Conversion group, led by Jagannadh Satyavolu, and faculty from chemical engineering, such as Noppadon Sathitsuksanoh, will work with the biomass,” Marsh said. ��

Marsh said the center plans to expand the crop in 2018 and hopes to improve soil quality to ensure the plants do well in their urban environment.

“In 2016 and 2017, the tendencies of different seed types to prosper in our climate and soil conditions over those that do not have become apparent,” Marsh said. “So far, we have been growing in unconditioned ‘urban clay,’ not farm soils. This year gave a better look at the nutrient deficiencies, so 2018 will include soil-conditioning strategies. There are hemp varieties that we grew that just didn’t do very well with our mix of soil, available nutrient and water, but others did great. We’ll be diversifying our seed types next year too, looking for greater yield with minimal soil modifications. This was our first full season of growing, and the results are pretty good for both kenaf and hemp.”�� �� �� �� �� ����

The state’s hemp research program is looking into whether hemp can once again become an economic driver in the state, where it was once grown primarily for making rope.

Satyavolu, the center’s leader for biofuels and biomass conversion, along with assistant chemical engineering professor Sathitsuksanoh and students, are studying whether hurd, the innor core of the hemp plant stem, has potential for use in fuels, chemicals and polymers. Hurd is a byproduct after the outer fibers of the hemp are removed.

About the Conn Center’s research

The Conn Center research is specifically focused on

1. Converting hemp into high value, functionalized carbons that can be used as catalyst supports and energy storage media
2. Transforming hemp seed oil into biocompatible resins for 3-D printed medical implants
3. Extracting sugars from hemp to convert into diesel additives and other chemicals.

In collaboration with the state, UofL established the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research at the in 2009. The center leads research that increases homegrown energy sources to meet the national need while reducing energy consumption and dependence on foreign oil. The center promotes partnerships among Kentucky’s colleges and universities, private industries and non-profit organizations to actively pursue federally and privately funded R&D resources dedicated to renewable energy solutions.

Researchers at the Conn Center are studying advanced energy materials manufacturing; solar energy conversion; renewable energy storage; biofuels/biomass conversions; and energy efficiency and conservation.

Mahendra Sunkara is director of the center, named in honor of Henry “Hank” and Rebecca Conn, who pledged $20 million for its formation. Hank Conn is a UofL alumnus who received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Speed School and also an MBA from the College of Business.

Check out more about this year’s harvesting process in the video below:��

A week later, on their last day of a summer camp where they learned the basics of renewable energy, these same students left with a spark of something new for the future.

About 30 high school students from eastern Kentucky’s “” on July 21 concluded the research camp at the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research. Their presentations on subjects like solar energy and lithium ion batteries seemed to surprise even themselves.

“I came here knowing I wanted to be an engineer,” said Hayley Fulton, 14, who will be sophomore at Letcher County Central High school this fall. “I was clueless and now I know all this stuff and I’m just like, ‘Wow.’”

The camp at the center, which is part of UofL’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering, was in partnership with the federal Promise Zone, an area comprised of Bell, Harlan, Letcher, Perry, Leslie, Clay, Knox and part of Whitley counties. Its goal is to improve the overall quality of life in the 3,071-square-mile region. The white lab coats some students wore bore the saying “It’s a Promise” on the back.

“Solar energy is very important because nowadays we rely on a lot of non-renewable energy sources,” said Kaden Gray, 16, a junior at Lynn Camp High School in Knox County. “By utilizing solar energy, we can not only fix the problem, but bring back a lot of lost jobs to our areas. All these labs, the amount of stuff we learned that had to do with what I thought to be a simple concept, really blew my mind.”

The camp was designed to broaden interest in STEM careers, and many students said they are looking at careers in engineering, medicine, nursing and marine biology.

Asher Terry, 14, a Letcher County Central sophomore, said he wanted to learn more about STEM careers even though he’s an aspiring lawyer.

“I learned about solar cells and how they work,” he said. “I learned that coal isn’t all that because it’ll run out one day and we need some kind of renewable energy.”

The students said the importance of teamwork and respect were added lessons. They also made some good friends along the way.

“Today is going to be very hard for me because half these kids I probably will never have the chance to meet or see again,” said Gracie Moles, 14, a sophomore at Middlesboro High School.

The students spent the week on Belknap Campus in a dormitory, and in between labs they saw the sights of Louisville, such as the Slugger Museum and the Speed Art Museum. Interim UofL President Greg Postel and Interim Speed School Dean Gail DePuy met with them Friday and answered questions about scholarships, honors classes, tuition and housing.

Kentucky’s Promise Zone was designated in 2014 as the first rural Promise Zone in the nation. There are 21 other Promise Zone communities nationwide.

Check out more from the camp in the video below:��

But this isn’t Silicon Valley — it’s a capstone class at the University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering, taught in two sections by Dr. Sundar Atre, of the mechanical engineering department, and Dr. Thad Druffel, of the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research.

Enrolled students were put into teams, and told to build a startup company around a product. This semester, a few have even taken their products to competitions, including the statewide business plan competition, .

In Druffel’s section of the course, students built companies around solutions for renewable energy and energy efficiency. One student startup redesigned a solar-powered lithium ion scooter. Another developed a new way to cheaply and efficiently create bleach for medical facilities in third-world countries.

Druffel also included a handful of art and business students, plus mentors from the greater Louisville community to work alongside the engineers. He said working across disciplines prepares the students for real-world jobs that increasingly ask them to communicate with, rely on and learn from people with .

“There’s going to be a lot of people, and you have to learn, and learn really quick from them,” Druffel said. “We spend the first part of the course just talking about how you communicate as a team — and it’s serious.”

In Atre’s section of the course, teams were paired with graduate researchers to build companies around . Among other things, teams used 3-D printing to design custom surgical tools or bone implants. You can read more about Atre’s teams .

And for students who wanted to go further, Atre also offered to pay for the 10-week LaunchIt lean startup training program at UofL’s J.D. Nichols Campus for Innovation and Entrepreneurship downtown. Several students have taken him up on it.

“While entrepreneurship is not for everyone, I want to expose more of them to it,” he said. “Maybe some of them will take the next step.”

The course ends with a , where those in the industry are invited to see what the students have accomplished. The public portion of the event is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 19 at the UofL Engineering Garage.