EMU Today

YPSILANTI – How eco-friendly is your manicure?

Along with her faculty advisor, Vijay Mannari, Eastern Michigan University research doctoral fellow Forough Zareanshahraki is working to make your nails a little greener.

The pair’s joint research project was awarded the prestigious University Emerging Technology Award this month at the Radtech 2018 Conference. Zareanshahraki and Mannari were recognized for their innovative work in developing the nail gels at an awards dinner. 

“These ‘green’ nail gels, supplied in VOC-free solvents or in water, contain greater than 50 percent bio-renewable content and have been designed to cure by low-energy consuming and safe UV-LED light, making them especially sustainable products,” said Gary Cohen, executive director of RadTech International.

“Besides being innovative and environmentally responsible, the nail gel technology presented by the EMU team has potential for expanding applications of UV-cure materials into personal care.”

Zareanshahraki, who is from Iran and now lives in Ypsilanti, was also awarded Best Student Paper at the conference. 

“Working at the forefront of the technological advancement with Professor Mannari and his team at the Coatings Research Institute has been very stimulating and satisfying,” said Zareanshahraki,

The two have begun the tech transfer process, that is, disclosing their invention, and eventually hope to get a patent.

Past winners of this award include companies such as Carbon 3D, The Ford Motor Company, PepsiCo and Proctor & Gamble. RadTech International North America is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of ultraviolet and electron beam technologies.

EMU’s Polymers and Coatings Program, a division of the College of Technology, is among a very few of its kind in the nation and enjoys a strong reputation for its leadership in advanced research and for providing outstanding trained workforce to the polymers and coating industries.

Apart from its graduate programs, the Polymers and Coatings Research Institute also offers an undergraduate minor program geared toward students majoring in chemistry. 

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest university in Michigan. It currently serves 20,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.