About Us

David is an environmental scientist and inventor of new green, carbon-negative materials.  He grew up in the heavily industrialized Calumet Region of northwest Indiana where the giant steel mills, endless factories, and converging railroads drove him away to the natural landscapes of the West. Yet, ironically, he ended up studying the chemistry of iron at the University of Arizona. His research focused on the patterns and formations of corrosion processes. This eventually led to the discovery of iron's surprising ability to create strong cementing bonds as it oxidizes. When this happens in the presence of carbon dioxide, this greenhouse gas is trapped in the growing crystal structure. Developing this process led to the invention of Ferrock, an iron-based cement that can outperform Portland cement in some ways. 

David is now dedicated to using this material technology to create affordable homes that contain captured carbon dioxide as part of their material composition. 

Sumanta is Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Rhode Island and Director of the Multiscale & Multiphysics Mechanics of Materials Research Laboratory (M4RL).  He earned his Ph.D. in Materials and Structures from Arizona State University in 2015. His graduate research focused on the analysis and characterization of Ferrock, which resulted in several papers published in peer-reviewed journals. His dissertation was awarded the Dean's Prize for the College of Engineering. Prof. Das' current research interests include sustainable cementitious materials, microstructure and material modeling, and materials design for sustainable and durable infrastructure.