Center for Environmental Research & Technology

History and Purpose: The CE-CERT Atmospheric Processes Research Group advances understanding of the chemical pathways leading to secondary organic aerosol formation in the atmosphere. Researchers employ the large atmospheric chamber and the smaller mobile chamber to study the impacts of emissions from diverse sources such as vehicles, wildfires, agricultural operations, and consumer products with the goal of developing new air quality models and improving the accuracy of existing ones. 

Research in atmospheric processes goes beyond electric versus fossil fuels. The leading chemicals responsible for ozone and particulate matter in our air are consumer products. Atmospheric processes research also includes cloud processes and global climate change, which is part of one of the greatest challenges to our future.

Through this award, the Atmospheric Processes Research Group’s faculty and alumni recognize and celebrate the mentorship, dedication, and hard work that helped to launch many successful careers for Bourns College of Engineering alumni in the engineering field. The goal of this award is to provide inspiration and an example of perseverance to graduate students, along with showing commitment to their future success.

This Fund shall be used by the Director of CE-CERT to support graduate student research, whether for conferences, equipment, supplies, transportation, or other research related needs.

Selection and Guidelines: Students in a graduate degree program at the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering must meet eligibility requirements established by CECERT, including:

1. Employed by or working on a research project at CE-CERT with preference given to students associated with the Atmospheric Processes Research Group;

2. Be a full-time student at the University of California, Riverside; and 

3. Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0.

History and Purpose: In 1994, Ford Motor Company pledged $10 million to the University of California, Riverside, creating an endowment for the benefit of the Bourns College of Engineering - Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT). It was the largest gift UCR had received.  Part of the gift-established endowments that will award in perpetuity the Ford Motor Company Scholarship, Ford Motor Company Fellowship, and Ford Motor Company Postdoctoral Fellowship. These awards are given to undergraduates, graduate students, and recent Ph.D.s studying environmental engineering.

Undergraduate Scholarship: Part of the gift of the this endowment is used to fund undergraduate students for the Ford Motor Company Undergraduate Scholarship. The Ford Motor Company Undergraduate Scholarship was established by an endowment to the Bourns College of Engineering from Ford Motor Company to encourage and aid undergraduate students in pursuit of careers in engineering. The award is given annually in the amount of $5,000 to offset University of California, Riverside academic expenses. 

Selection and Guidelines: To qualify for consideration of this scholarship, you must be a full-time undergraduate student at the University of California, Riverside, currently pursuing a B.S. degree, and have maintained at least a 3.0 grade point average. Candidates should have, or plan to have, a working relationship with CE-CERT. Judgment criteria include the applicant's academic record, recommendations from faculty, promise to develop a successful career in a field of engineering, and financial need. 

History and Purpose: Colin E. Hackett Endowed Engineering Research Award was established by an endowment to the University of California, Riverside, from the Hackett Family to encourage and aid graduate students in pursuit of careers in engineering and doing research at CE-CERT. Dr. Colin Hackett was the manager of UC, Riverside Alternative Fuels and Renewable Energy Research Program. He was an amazing researcher and key in the waste-to-energy demonstration project at CE-CERT. Dr. Hackett was co-inventor of the "Diesel Fuel Synthesis from Carbonaceous Feed Stocks using Self-Sustained Hydro-gasification" process. Dr. Hackett joined CE-CERT in December 2000. Previously, he was a member of the technical staff in Engineering Sciences Research and Development at Sandia National Laboratories for nearly three decades. He received bachelor's (Honors) and master's degrees from Cambridge University, England and a Ph.D. from Brown University. He passed away on July 12, 2005. Friends and family of Dr. Hackett created the Colin Hackett Graduate Fellowship in Engineering as a tribute to his many accomplishments.
This Fund shall be used to provide research support to full-time graduate students in mechanical and/or chemical sciences who arc engaged in experimental engineering research, to develop their laboratory skills. 

Selection and Guidelines: The award will be given to full-time graduate students who have demonstrated superior academic skills, at the direction of the Director of CE-CERT. It is the Donor's preference that the award be given to students who are women and/or under-represented minorities. If no student meets the criteria, the annual distribution will be added to the corpus, or applied to the next year's award.

History and Purpose: Esther Hays, M.D., Professor and Dean Emerita of UCLA's School of Medicine, has an enduring concern about the environment. In 1999, to assure financial assistance to UCR students pursuing advanced degrees in Environmental Engineering, she established the Esther F. Hays Graduate Fellowship in the College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology. Her concern for the health is not only for Southern California residents, but all people in this country and CE-CERT's emphasis on training future engineers to solve environmental problems inspired her gift. "It seems to me we must do something to improve air quality. If engine technologies can be changed and alternative fuels developed the benefits to air quality will follow." She hopes that Hays Fellows will, in their careers, add solutions to these and other problems.

Selection and Guidelines: Candidates must:
- be full-time graduate students at UCR
- be currently pursuing, or planning to pursue a graduate degree in Engineering at Bourns College of Engineering
- have a minimum GPA of 3.0
- donor preference that fellowship given to a U.S. citizen

History and Purpose: Life-long energy innovation leader Neal Richter’s legacy will live on through the G. Neal Richter Energy Innovation Scholarship. The scholarship established at the College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) at UC Riverside will provide financial assistance to undergraduate or graduate students studying alternative energies at CE-CERT.  Dr. Richter spent his life dedicated to environmental work. Throughout his career, Dr. Richter engaged in all aspects of the facility’s work– improvements at the pilot plant stage, expanding feedstocks used from natural gas and oil to coal, biomass, used tires, and the operation of those plants and support of the licensing in the process. Dr. Richter was most concerned with environmental impact. In retirement, he continued to have an impact on the energy industry, both as a Chevron Fellow Emeritus and in the research program of the late Joe Norbeck, founding director of CE-CERT, and former director of the UCR Environmental Research Institute. His dedication to his work went beyond the research. He strongly believed in providing a philanthropic base to support students who wanted to make a difference. Before his passing in 2016, Dr. Richter initiated an endowed scholarship to support students studying energy innovation.

The fund was a reflection of his values and was established to further advance the academic quality, excellence, and benefits of energy research. With the generous support of Neal’s family and members of the college community, the initiative that Dr. Richter began has reached its goal of becoming a full endowment. Dr. Richter dedicated nearly 50 years of his life to energy innovation and traveled the world as an expert in the field. Through this scholarship, the work that Dr. Richter started will continue to grow.

History and Purpose: The J. Wayne Miller and Thomas D. Durbin Graduate Research Award is dedicated to the UCR CE-CERT Emissions and Fuels Research (EFR) team faculty advisors: J. Wayne Miller, Thomas D. Durbin, David R. Cocker, Kent C. Johnson, Heejung Jung, Georgios Karavalakis, and Joseph Norbeck who have each mentored many chemical and environmental engineers over the years. This award is named after the current two most senior advisors from the EFR group. It is given annually to deserving graduate students at CE-CERT to help cover costs associated with attending conferences and/or research and equipment expenses.

Through this award, the EFR alumni recognize and celebrate the faculty mentorship, dedication, and hard work that helped to launch many successful careers for Bourns College of Engineering alumni in the engineering field. The goal of this scholarship is to provide inspiration and an example of perseverance, hard work, and commitment to future graduate students, just as our advisors did for the founding donors during their university research experiences.

History and Purpose:  David and Lucile Packard, of the Hewlett-Packard Company, created their foundation in 1964 because they believed that private organizations had to take a financial interest and a leadership role in the development of organizations to meet society's needs. The foundation has given generously to universities, national and local institutions, as well as community and youth groups. "The David and Lucile Packard Foundation will continue to support these organizations with the hope and expectation that we can strengthen them and, thereby, conserve and enhance resources and improve the quality of life in our community, the nation, and the world." 

In April 1995, the Foundation funded an endowed post-doctoral fellowship: the David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship in Environmental Engineering. It is used by the Bourns College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) for research leading to a better understanding of air pollution issues.

History and Purpose: The CE-CERT Transportation Systems Research Group applies the latest advances in the field of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to the mitigation of the environmental and energy issues associated with the movement of goods and people. The group focuses on the development and implementation of advanced vehicle computing, control, communication, and sensing technologies that will transform today’s vehicles and transportation systems to improve their safety, efficiency, and economics while reducing their environmental impact.

Through this award, the Transportations Systems Research Group’s faculty and alumni recognize and celebrate the mentorship, dedication, and hard work that helped to launch many successful careers for Bourns College of Engineering alumni in the engineering field. The goal of this award is to provide inspiration and an example of perseverance and commitment to the success of future graduate students.

Special Thanks to our Founding Donors for their philanthropic leadership and generosity: Ziran Wang & Ziwei Zhang; Chao Wang & Bo Zhi; Meng Cao & Lei Xiong; Weihua Zhu

History and Purpose: In December 1995, Debbi Huffman Guthrie established the Jim Guthrie Research Award Endowment to honor her husband, Jim. Both Mr. and Mrs. Guthrie are prominent business leaders in the Riverside community. Mrs. Guthrie was the third generation in her family's roofing company. Mr. Guthrie builds homes. The endowment funds one or more Guthrie Awards annually to students involved in research at the Bourns College of Engineering - Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT).

The purpose of the Guthrie Research Award Endowment is to encourage academic excellence and critical thinking in an area that is important to Jim and Debbi Guthrie, in December 1995 they created the Jim Guthrie Research Awards. Given annually, students are selected based upon review of written research papers on projects conducted at the College of Engineering - Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT).

Selection and Guidelines: One or more awards annually to students chosen by a committee designated by the Director of the College of Engineering - Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT).Selection of award recipients will be determined by a review of written research papers by UCR students on projects conducted at CE-CERT. Other considerations are at the discretion of the selection committee. Preference is given to Environmental Engineering students or those in a related discipline. Application made through CE-CERT department representative.

History and Purpose: In 1994, Ford Motor Company pledged $10 million to the University of California, Riverside, creating an endowment for the benefit of the Bourns College of Engineering - Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT). It was the largest gift UCR had received. Part of the gift established endowments that will award in perpetuity the Ford Motor Company Scholarship, Ford Motor Company Fellowship, and Ford Motor Company Postdoctoral Fellowship. These awards are given to undergraduates, graduate students, and recent Ph.D.s studying environmental engineering.

Part of the gift of this endowment is used to fund undergraduate students for the Ford Motor Company Undergraduate Scholarship. The Ford Motor Company Undergraduate Scholarship was established by an endowment to the Bourns College of Engineering from Ford Motor Company to encourage and aid undergraduate students in pursuit of careers in engineering. The award is given annually in the amount of $5,000 to offset University of California, Riverside academic expenses.

Part of the gift of this endowment will used to award graduate students the William R. Pierson/Ford Graduate Fellowship. The William R. Pierson/Ford Graduate Fellowship was established by an endowment to the University of California, Riverside, from Ford Motor Company to encourage and aid graduate students in pursuit of careers in engineering and doing research at CE-CERT. The fellowship is given annually to a full-time graduate student in the amount of $5,000 to offset University of California, Riverside, academic and/or research expenses.

Selection and Guidelines: Scholarships will be awarded by CE-CERT.

Ford Motor Company Undergraduate Scholarship - To qualify for consideration of this scholarship, you must be a full-time undergraduate student at the University of California, Riverside, currently pursuing a B.S. degree, and have maintained at least a 3.0 grade point average. Candidates should have, or plan to have, a working relationship with CE-CERT. Judgment criteria include the applicant's academic record, recommendations from faculty, promise to develop a successful career in a field of engineering, and financial need.

The William R. Pierson/Ford Graduate Fellowship- To qualify for consideration of this graduate fellowship, you must:

1. Have, or plan to have, a working relationship with CE-CERT;
2. Be a full-time graduate student at the University of California, Riverside;
3. Be currently pursuing, or planning to pursue, a graduate degree in engineering at the Bourns College of Engineering; and
4. Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0.

History and Purpose: This award is dedicated to Salim Khan, the father of former CE-CERT student Mohammad Yusuf Khan (Ph.D., June 2013), in honor of his commitment to the education of his children and to the service of his community. Mr. Khan was the embodiment of the values of perseverance and hard work, facing several health and financial challenges in his determination to help others.

Selection and Guidelines: This fellowship is intended to offset University of California, Riverside, academic and/or research expenses in the following academic year for students with an academic standing of 3.0 GPA or higher.