DHS Announces Cooling Solutions Prize Challenge Finalists in Celebration of Earth Day

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced UF Innovate startup Micro Nano Technologies, as a finalists in the Cooling Solutions Challenge prize competition. Launched in September 2021, by DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this $195,000 prize competition marks the first in a series focusing on national climate resilience.

The Cooling Solutions Challenge was designed to find groundbreaking solutions to protect the public against extreme heat, the nation’s leading cause of weather-related deaths. The challenge sought innovative ideas to help first responders, individuals, households, or displaced populations keep cool during extreme heat events, which have become more common across the United States with increasing frequency, intensity, and duration.

“It’s my privilege to recognize the finalists for the first-ever DHS prize competition focused on tackling the climate crisis,” said Kathryn Coulter Mitchel, DHS Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Science and Technology. “These innovators have contributed unique concepts to combat the devastating effects of extreme heat in communities across the country. These solutions will support DHS in its mission to strengthen the nation’s resilience.”

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