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Researchers unravel microbial mysteries in quest for better biofuels
Someday soon, oil refineries may trade in crude oil for agricultural waste like corn stalks or renewable plants like switchgrass in order to produce sustainable biofuels. But we’re not there quite yet; converting those products into usable chemicals on a large scale requires efficient catalytic reactions, which researchers are still hunting for.
Transportation produces a sizable amount of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, largely by using petroleum to power internal combustion engines. Other alternatives – such as using cellulosic biomass like grasses to produce drop-in fuels or electricity – could avoid petroleum use altogether and move atmospheric carbon dioxide to soil and geologic storage.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, has awarded the distinction of Fellow to six MSU faculty members this year, including GLBRC researchers Eric Hegg and Cheryl Kerfeld. These individuals have been elevated to this rank because of their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished.
Cool morning dew sparkled off an army of deep green blades; somewhere close an abrupt rustle originated. The green sea parted, a young fawn appeared, and the world became still for only a moment. Experiencing a research summer at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station isn’t only about understanding the natural world but appreciating it as well.
Dr. Alexandra Kravchenko, Michigan State University professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, along with several of her colleagues, discovered a new mechanism determining how carbon is stored in soils.
Anne-Sophie Bohrer, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) postdoctoral research associate at Michigan State University (MSU), specializes in resilience. Originally from France, Bohrer moved to the United States after her PhD to study plant metabolism at MSU and now researches the metabolic makeup of switchgrass with GLBRC.
Acclaimed biologist E.O. Wilson dubbed invertebrates as “the little things that run the world.” More than 95% of all animal species are invertebrates, with species adapted to thrive in the driest of deserts to the ocean depths. Despite their hidden lifestyle, they can have potentially large impacts on key ecosystem processes important for reducing further climate warming.
Four Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center researchers have been named to Clarivate Analytics’ 2019 list of “Highly Cited Researchers.” Those named include James Dumesic, UW–Madison professor of chemical and biological engineering; John Ralph, UW–Madison professor of biochemistry; G.