The type of bioenergy crops we plant – as well as where and how we plant them – could have huge impacts on biodiversity. A new study finds some ‘next generation’ solutions aren’t much better than the first.
Today we spoke to Sarvada Chipkar, a PhD candidate in Ong Research Laboratory at Michigan Technological University. She speaks on the power of positivity and passion when it comes to taking a leap.
This week, we spoke with JinHo Lee, a Ph.D. student in the Kravchenko Lab at Michigan State University, who is working to understand soil carbon sequestration and soil pores. Lee obtained his BS and MS in applied life chemistry from Gyeongsang National University in his home country of South Korea.
Among switchgrass’s attractive features are that it’s perennial, low maintenance, and native to many states in the eastern US. But it also has a peculiar behavior working against it that has stymied researchers—at least until now.
The mint family of herbs, which includes sage, rosemary, basil, and even woody plants like teak, offers an invigorating jolt to our senses of smell and taste. Michigan State University researchers have found that these plants have diversified their specialized natural characteristics through the evolution of their chemistry.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison are working to develop plant-based fuels that are a key piece of the nation’s blueprint for decarbonizing transportation.
Scientists at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center engineered a new type of poplar with more of a valuable platform chemical and less lignin overall, resulting in wood that is easier to deconstruct and more valuable.
Tim Donohue is working to replace black gold with something much greener. With the right combination of renewable resources and microbes, or possibly a few genetic tweaks of certain microbes, Donohue and others are working to develop sustainable, low-cost alternatives to fossil fuels, chemicals, and other products.
Phil Robertson, Michigan State University Distinguished Professor of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, is the recipient of two awards from the U.S. Long-term Agroecosystem Research Network, or LTAR.
What do we prune to stay aligned with our values, families, and careers? Today, Ashley Shade, Michigan State University Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center scientist, shares how balancing a career and motherhood requires daily pruning and sacrifice. Shade explains the myth of “having it all” as a woman in work, citing a lack of institutional support and her own experience as a mother in STEM.
This week, we sat down with Sreejata Bandopadhyay, a postdoctoral researcher in Ashley Shade’s lab at Michigan State University, and asked about her academic path, her interest in microbiome resilience, and the importance of her research for crop system management.
