{"id":7067,"date":"2026-02-09T15:08:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/?p=7067"},"modified":"2026-03-16T14:07:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T18:07:50","slug":"nicholas-school-showcases-co2-removal-system-at-prototypes-for-humanity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/nicholas-school-showcases-co2-removal-system-at-prototypes-for-humanity\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicholas School Showcases CO2 Removal System at Prototypes for Humanity"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"406\" height=\"613\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/p4h-marine-mrv-lab-team.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7068\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/p4h-marine-mrv-lab-team.jpg 406w, https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/p4h-marine-mrv-lab-team-199x300.jpg 199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 406px) 100vw, 406px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Mobile MRV Lab team at the Prototypes for Humanity competition in Dubai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Business &amp; Environment (B&amp;E) program at the Nicholas School is expanding opportunities for faculty and students to translate environmental science into real-world impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A recent example is the Mobile MRV Lab, a real-time, field-deployable system developed in the lab of Dr. Nicolas Cassar to support safe and scalable solutions for removing carbon dioxide from marine environments. The team recently traveled to Dubai to participate in Prototypes for Humanity, where students from universities in over 100 countries submit cutting-edge technologies designed to create a better future for people and the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Mobile MRV Lab was one of 100 teams selected from over 3,500 applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s systems for carbon dioxide removal are slow and fragmented, lacking real-time, high-frequency monitoring. The Mobile MRV Lab performs various roles that are critical for the effective removal of CO2, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Measuring nitrogen fixation and its role in ecosystem productivity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conducting continuous measurement of photosynthesis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Measuring oxygen and air concentration in water to assess photosynthesis and respiration levels<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Measuring the quality of dissolved inorganic carbon in a body of water<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These technologies work together to provide insights into ecosystem health, helping industries like energy, agriculture, and waste management make data-driven decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MEM student Jessica Stubbs was also able to travel to Dubai to see the event in action, as well as develop a comprehensive marketing plan for the Mobile MRV Lab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur students do much more than come up with creative concepts\u2014they learn how to turn their ideas into viable products, present them to consumers, secure funding, and develop marketing strategies to ensure they find their audience,&#8221; said Lori Bennear, Stanback Dean of the Nicholas School. &#8220;This is yet another example of how the Nicholas School reaches beyond the classroom to make a meaningful impact in the real world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons has-custom-font-size has-medium-font-size is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-25\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/BE-Report-Final.pdf\" style=\"background-color:#1d6363\">Read the full report!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meet the Team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-bottom is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Cassar-Nicolas.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7076\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Cassar-Nicolas.jpg 360w, https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Cassar-Nicolas-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Cassar-Nicolas-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-bottom is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1022\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Katryna-Niva-2-1024x1022.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Katryna-Niva-2-1024x1022.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Katryna-Niva-2-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Katryna-Niva-2-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Katryna-Niva-2-768x767.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Katryna-Niva-2-510x510.jpeg 510w, https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Katryna-Niva-2.jpeg 1178w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-bottom is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Akash-Aithal.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7078\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Akash-Aithal.png 360w, https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Akash-Aithal-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/files\/2026\/02\/Akash-Aithal-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Nicolas Cassar<\/strong> is a professor of<br>biogeochemistry at Duke\u2019s<br>Nicholas School. His research<br>focuses on environmental<br>biogeochemistry and physiology,<br>with the objective of constraining<br>the mechanisms governing<br>carbon cycling and climate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Katryna Niva<\/strong> graduated from Princeton University in 2022 with a concentration in chemistry and a certificate in environmental studies. Her research interests include marine nutrient cycling and investigating anthropogenic impacts on marine biogeochemistry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Akash Aithal <\/strong>is a product marketing manager with 6+ years of cross-functional experience across product marketing, consulting, and software development. He combines technical fluency with strategic storytelling to turn customer insights into measurable product adoption and revenue impact.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Business &amp; Environment (B&amp;E) program at the Nicholas School is expanding opportunities for faculty and students to translate environmental science into real-world [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3601,"featured_media":7068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,1],"tags":[37,38],"class_list":{"0":"post-7067","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business-environment","8":"category-uncategorized","9":"tag-business-and-environment-concentration","10":"tag-stories-of-impact","11":"czr-hentry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3601"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7067"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7299,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7067\/revisions\/7299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nicholas.duke.edu\/odar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}