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Scientific researchers are optimistic that a new partnership between Syracuse University and Honeywell Building Technologies will lead to advances in indoor air quality research. 

SU announced on March 1 that the partnership will include a collaboration to fund and research indoor air quality. The university will also name a laboratory in the College of Engineering and Computer Science after Honeywell. 

Research about air quality often goes under the radar despite its importance, said Bing Dong, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at SU. 

“(Indoor air quality) research greatly benefits our daily life, particularly post-pandemic,” said Dong, who serves as a co-principal investigator in SU’s indoor air quality research team. “People spend 90% of their time indoors. We breathe the air indoors … IAQ research will impact people’s health and productivity.”

Jensen Zhang, the team’s principal investigator and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, said the partnership will make progress in several key areas. 

Zhang and the other researchers will look to improve technology through the development of a more comprehensive, standardized testing method. The team plans to explore integrating the research into daily life in controlled and safe ways.

The team also hopes to reduce the research’s environmental footprint. Zhang said he’s confident that the laboratory provides sufficient space and technology to make these goals possible.

Honeywell and SU have previously collaborated to make pollution clean-up efforts for Onondaga Lake more efficient, but this research poses different challenges and opportunities. 

Dong said that the new partnership came to fruition because Honeywell and SU share a mutual desire to achieve more in the field, with an existing structure of successful research already in place. The high-powered researchers on both sides will help bring air quality research to a “new level,” he said.

Suresh Venkatarayalu, Honeywell’s chief technology officer, echoed Dong’s sentiment.

“When private industry and academia team up, we can create meaningful change,”  Venkatarayalu said. “This collaboration will help identify potential solutions to further improve indoor air quality and create healthier building environments to enhance the occupant experience.”

The College of Engineering and Computer Sciences houses many labs. The Honeywell laboratory has yet to be established.
Deandre Gutierrez | Contributing Photographer

In addition to improving future research, the partnership could also prove beneficial for SU students. Zhang hopes that students will become involved in the research process, not just for the sake of the advancement of his research, but as an important educational tool. The facility will try to incorporate students from all levels of study, including undergraduates, masters and doctoral students.

The partnership will also work with the American Society for Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers with the intention of adapting nationwide standards for the industry. These could open the door for new ventilation strategies that can save building owners money and energy while increasing productivity and reducing the amount of sick days, Zhang said.

“The impact of the project will be far beyond just these two organizations,” he said.

Published on March 16, 2021 at 10:21 pm

Contact Richard: rcperrin@syr.edu | @richardperrins2