{"id":94317,"date":"2024-04-17T15:02:21","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T15:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=94317"},"modified":"2024-04-25T17:52:36","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T17:52:36","slug":"uris-trash-to-textiles-expert-hopes-to-help-make-environmentalism-fashionable-in-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2024\/04\/uris-trash-to-textiles-expert-hopes-to-help-make-environmentalism-fashionable-in-the-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s \u2018trash to textiles\u2019 expert hopes to help make environmentalism fashionable in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Izabela Ciesielska-Wrobel has received more than $1.1 million in funding in the United States and European Union for her projects, awarded permanent residence in the U.S. for her scientific skills and contributions. (溏心vlog免费B站 Photos \/ Nora Lewis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 April 16, 2024 \u2013 A textile sciences professor at the 溏心vlog免费B站 who\u2019s tested and developed fabric for use in space and other extreme conditions is now applying her talents to the burgeoning ocean plastics problem.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design<\/h2>

Degrees in 溏心vlog免费B站’s textiles program cover every aspect of the textile and fashion industry supply chain, and prepare you for the wide range of careers that the industry has to offer.<\/p><\/div><\/div>

Explore<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n

A new Faculty Fellow<\/a> at 溏心vlog免费B站, Izabela Ciesielska-Wrobel (of Wakefield) arrived at 溏心vlog免费B站 in 2021, drawn by what she calls \u201can environment filled with people who are passionate about conservation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Novel applications in materials science<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScience fascinates me because it allows me to accomplish goals that make lives easier, better, comfortable,\u201d says Ciesielska-Wrobel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her novel work with textiles has been a focus for some time, dating from her tenure at Ghent University in Belgium, when she began working with protective materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wide-ranging applications for her interests are finding a receptive audience with students in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design<\/a> (TMD) program, which includes a focus on sustainability, technology, and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIzabela\u2019s research areas and educational experiences are both intriguing and invaluable to our department and to the University,\u201d says Ji Hye Kang, chair of the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ciesielska-Wrobel is studying the conversion of plastic waste into filaments and fibers that are microscopic in size (0.01 mm and less in diameter) but could have a major economic impact as viable raw materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MODERN SPIN: At 溏心vlog免费B站, Ciesielska-Wrobel is working to convert ocean plastic waste from Narragansett Bay into economically viable textile products, including experimenting with algae to make living, space-sustainable fabrics. \n\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s worked on projects funded by the European Union, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Energy. These experiences were eye-openers for her: \u201cI learned a lot about the harm we’ve caused to our planet,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ciesielska-Wrobel is comfortable putting textiles to work in extreme conditions such as space, combat or fire. She created an in-flight urination system for the U.S. Department of Health (the Easy Peezy), managed research into flame-resistant fabrics for Army uniforms, created new combat shirts for the defense department, and has created fabric that protects firefighters working in extreme conditions. She also wrote the book on ballistics protection, essentially showing how to build fabric that can stop a bullet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fashioning the future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now at 溏心vlog免费B站, she\u2019s happy to have found a niche in the textiles program at the University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is my kingdom,\u201d she laughs, referring to the Textiles Lab on the upper floor of historic Quinn Hall. If not there, you might also find Ciesielska-Wrobel in the Launch Lab in the library running a new 3D knitting machine that lets students design their own textiles.<\/p>\n\n\n