George John awarded Fulbright-Nehru Excellence Fellowship

Dr. George John, professor of chemistry at The City College of New York, has received a 2015-2016 Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence  Fellowship. He will spend four months in India teaching and conducting research on a project titled “Introducing Materials Science to Managers through Biomimicry” at the LM Thapar School of Management, in Dera Bassi.

John is developing a course on biomimetic materials for business managers and leaders. It is aimed at helping them develop the tools to understand and appreciate the technical complexities in sustainable materials development, especially with increasing advancements in technology.

In addition, John will teach several short courses and lead seminars at other institutions in India. The topics include, “Biomimetic Materials: Innovation Can Be Inspired by Nature,” “Biorefinery: A Design Tool for Green and Sustainable Materials,” and “Valorization of Biomass into Multifunctional Materials.” These courses introduce students and researchers to a new area of research while encouraging the growth of local traditional industries and focusing on regional resources–based technologies.

John’s most recent work includes leading a City College team of researchers in the Division of Science that has developed an eco-friendly biodegradable green “herding” agent that can be used to clean up light crude oil spills on water. Their research was published in the journal "Science Advances."

About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture; the School of Education; the Grove School of Engineering; the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, and the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. U.S. News, Princeton Review and Forbes all rank City College among the best colleges and universities in the United States.