News
Sustainable Biomass Conversion
Bioenergy Research Center collaboration brings plant-based fuels closer to market
GLBRC scientists worked with partners at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) and the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) on an investigation into how different pretreatment methods affect production of fuels and chemicals from sugarcane.
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Science Director Federica Brandizzi has been appointed director of the prestigious Plant Research Center at Michigan State University.
Using a process called adaptive laboratory evolution, scientists found that a single genetic change allows N. aromaticivorans to digest acetovanillone, an aromatic compound in biomass that most studied microbes can't digest. DNA analysis predicts that many other bacteria use similar proteins to digest this and other related aromatic compounds.
Through genetic engineering, scientists can create strains with entirely new features, such as plants that produce certain chemicals or that store more energy in sugars that are easier for microbes to turn into biofuels. Making these changes without affecting how the plant grows requires controlling when and where certain genes are turned on and off. Despite progress, there are still hurdles to designing and using these genetic tools to precision engineer crops grown for energy.
What started as a last-minute contest entry for a group of Michigan State University students has resulted in a journal publication and a better understanding of how to translate science into marketable solutions to real-world problems.
When Kevin Myers needed computer software to support his biological investigations, he taught himself to code. Now he’s sharing that knowledge with others.
The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center has selected staff scientist Avery Vilbert as the recipient of the center’s second annual Yaoping Zhang Bioenergy Research Award for her work in the lab and beyond.
Scientists used machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to study how different yeasts protect themselves from harmful molecules that can limit industrial production of bioproducts like fatty acids. The study identified two key groups of genes and provides a framework for using machine learning to identify genes related to traits of interest across many species.
Elise Rivett was researching nitrous oxide (N20) when she discovered a problem with the model long used to trace the source of this potent greenhouse gas.
As a biochemist, Rivett lacked a background in mathematics. Undaunted, she developed a new equation and figured out the coding to update the model.
GLBRC hosted a two-day conference to bridge traditional disciplinary divides and define a roadmap to guide lignin-based research over the coming decade.
Undergraduates, fellow grad students, postdoctoral researchers – and even her own advisor – credit Amy Enright Steinberger for her support in and out of the lab, which applies bacterial genetics to address critical issues in the bioeconomy and antimicrobial resistance.
