News
Bioenergy Research Centers mark discovery milestone
With a focus on hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals made from non-food plants, the Bioenergy Research Centers are developing a portfolio of plant-based products, methods, and tools for use in an emerging U.S. bioeconomy.
Enright, a doctoral candidate in genetics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, was awarded the 2024 Jennifer L. Reed Bioenergy Science Award, given annually to recognize early-career women with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center for outstanding research and leadership.
Steven Karlen and Sang-Jin Kim, both senior scientists with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, are the winners of the first Yaoping Zhang Bioenergy Research Award.
The award recognizes the outstanding productivity and dedication of GLBRC researchers to the center’s mission of bioenergy advancements.
Students from GLBRC co-investigator Bjoern Hamberger showcased their plant research in the 2024 EnergyTech University Prize competition.
Madeline Hayes is a fifth-year graduate student in the Microbiology Doctoral Training Program (MDTP) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a member of the Venturelli Lab, where she studies microbial communities and how humans can leverage those systems to turn leftover plant materials into valuable chemicals.
In a landmark study based on one of the most comprehensive genomic datasets ever assembled, a team led by scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Vanderbilt University offer a possible answer to one of the oldest questions about evolution: why some species are generalists and others specialists.
Ane was recognized for contributions to the field of beneficial plant-microbe interactions, particularly understanding the signals that maintain soil quality for environmental sustainability and reduced costs for food, feed and biofuel production.
A junior from Hartford, Wis., Katarina Aranguiz was one of four University of Wisconsin–Madison students to receive a 2024 Goldwater Scholarship.
Ralph and his collaborators were honored for developing and innovatively applying advanced analytical techniques in ways that enhance understanding of lignin biosynthesis and structure in trees and provide a basis for new ways to deconstruct wood and use lignin.
A senior scientist with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and Wisconsin Energy Institute, Yaoping Zhang contributed to dozens of frequently-cited papers, though colleagues remember him mostly as a joyful collaborator who sought to support those around him.
UW–Madison scientists have improved a method for making a popular painkiller from plants instead of petrochemicals. The approach could help make plant-based fuels more cost competitive.
