University of Arkansas tackles housing crisis with innovative ‘Workforce 16’ prototype

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

To address the growing housing crisis in Arkansas and the U.S., students and faculty in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas are exploring innovative solutions.

John Folan, a professor and head of the architecture department, is working with students on a new project focused on creating affordable homes for workers earning $16 to $18 an hour.

The prototype, named Workforce 16, is on the lawn of Vol Walker Hall on the UA campus. It showcases core design features developed over four semesters of research. It incorporates a nucleus of 500 square feet with expandable bays, allowing for a 700-square-foot expansion in an orderly manner as income or family size grows. The home utilizes wave layered timber (WLT), a new form of mass timber, accelerating construction time and facilitating future reuse.

For more details, click here.

University of Arkansas tackles housing crisis with innovative ‘Workforce 16’ prototype

UA researchers receive nearly $18 million to build semiconductor fabrication facility

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

University of Arkansas engineering researchers led by distinguished professor Alan Mantooth will use a $17.87 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build and operate a national silicon carbide research and fabrication facility on campus, according to a Monday (Oct. 4) news release.

“The national impact of having a fabrication facility such as this is enormous,” Mantooth said. “The country that leads the world in advancing silicon carbide semiconductor design and fabrication will also lead the race to market nearly all game-changing technologies, including those used by the military, as well as general electronic devices that are essential to our economy.”

According to the release, the new facility will be the only openly accessible fabrication facility of its kind in the United States, meaning its facilities and services will be available to external researchers. All existing silicon carbide fabrication facilities in the United States are for internal use only, and U.S. research and development of silicon carbide integrated circuits rely on international fabrication. The new UA facility will provide domestic opportunities for prototyping, proof-of-principle demonstrations and device design.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/ua-researchers-receive-nearly-18-million-to-build-semiconductor-fabrication-facility/

Dr. Alan Mantooth, a distinguished professor in the University of Arkansas' electrical engineering department, said the electric power program's collaborative research has added more than $1 billion to the state's economy.