The Associated Press and boston.com report that a team of UMass Lowell students won one of only six national grants from the US Environmental Protection Agency for a project aimed at improving environmental quality.

A team of students at the school has set a goal to develop a new class of non-halogenated flame retardant materials. Halogenated flame retardant materials are hazardous to the environment after they have been discharged.

Curt Spalding, regional administrator for EPA’s New England office, said the students are showing innovation and creativity.

This year’s winners were selected from 55 competing teams after two days of judging by a panel of national experts convened by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Each award-winning team receives a grant of up to $75,000.