Yong Tao, chair and Distinguished Research Professor of mechanical and energy engineering and director of UNT's Zero Energy Laboratory and PACCAR Technology Institute, was awarded a National Science Foundation Research Coordination Networks -- Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability program grant.

For Tao's project, he will bring together researchers in areas ranging from engineering, construction and computer science to environmental science, business, architecture and social science to identify gaps in sustainable building knowledge and better understand human behavior related to sustainability.

By understanding human behavior, as well as government policy and business, they hope to shed light on how to better use energy-efficient structures and create new technologies.