AUA / Impact Hub Fellows Win $1,000 Grant for Their Project to Prevent Plastic Pollution

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YEREVAN, Armenia ‒ The American University of Armenia (AUA) is happy to share the news that the HUSK team of AUA / Impact Hub Yerevan fellows won the Awesome Foundation Yerevan $1,000 grant.

The Husk team is supported by the AUA / Impact Hub Yerevan fellowship program which was established by the joint efforts of AUA, its Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC), as well as Impact Hub Yerevan in 2016. 

The Awesome Foundation, whose chapters function autonomously, provides monthly financial aid to awesome projects in a number of areas including the arts, technology, and community development. The Awesome Foundation Yerevan chapter interprets awesome projects to be innovative, creative and extraordinary with a long-lasting positive effect.

Plastic pollution is a growing environmental issue not only in Armenia, but also globally. The HUSK team has proposed an environmentally-conscious idea of recycling plastic bottles for the production of filament, the plastic wire used for 3D printing. The team will use the $1,000 grant to create a portable machine which will transform plastic waste into 3D printer filament.

With the help of this portable machine, the HUSK team will promote the culture of recycling in Armenia. The team members have estimated that their product will not only be cost-effective, but also could be exported to the international market, thus contributing to the Armenian economy.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.