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bbe newsletter // winter 2011/2012

S u S t a i n a b l e u S e o f r e n e w a b l e r e S o u r c e S - e n h a n c e m e n t o f t h e e n v i r o n m e n t

Department HigHligHts

The Fall 2011 issue of CFAN’s Solutions magazine has

3 articles related to BBE faculty research. Two of the

pieces cover Biofuels & Bioproducts (The Big Picture

and Soybean Future); the third relates to Climate &

Environment (Thirsting for Sustainability). You can view

the issue online at:

4 www.cfans.umn.edu/Solutions/index.htm

BBE 2201 Renewable Energy and the Environment has

been wildly popular with U of M students. Get an idea of

some of the creative thinking this course has generated -

visit You Tube; search: BBE 2201 DSARI.

with growing global population and increasing energy demand, BBE faculty are at the forefront of developing sustainable,

alternative energy solutions. In addition to continuing research into alternative fuels derived from field crops and forest biomass, BBE faculty are looking into making biofuels from algae –yes, the all too familiar green scum in some of the Minnesota’s lakes and rivers. Not only does it have the benefit of being a non-food bioresource, it also has huge potential for faster growth and higher yield. A single acre of algae, because of its rapid growth rate, can produce over 5,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel per year – 100 times as much as soybeans. And, unlike soy bean and corn, algae does not compete with crops that are also raised for human and

animal consumption. In our department, the research related to algae as a biofuel source ranges from molecular genetics of algae species to growing and separating algae in waste water to efficient methods of removing phosphorous from waste water. Four of our faculty members are approaching algae research from three unique perspectives.

Drs. Roger Ruan and Paul Chen’s algae to biofuel research addresses both environmental benefits and alternative sources of biofuels production. There are 3 key items that make Dr. Ruan’s research stand out; 1) growing algae in wastewaters without any additional nutrients; 2) the use of greenhouse based photobioreactors using only natural light; and 3) the use of special mixotrophic algae strains. The first key item involves a partnership with the Metropolitan Council (MC). The MC processes 200 million

gallons of wastewater per day in St. Paul. The partnership has financial benefits for the MC, as it can also clean up the wastewater, resulting in significant cost savings. The phosphorus and nitrogen needed to grow algae are abundant in the wastewaters. In addition, the plants burn all the sludge, which generates a lot of carbon dioxide, which is also a perfect carbon source for algae growth. An added benefit is no transportation costs, because the algae as energy crop can be produced right on the site. The second key to Dr. Ruan’s method is the development of the hybrid photobioreactors (PBRs). Open ponds are inefficient because algae blooms block light and they require large amounts of land. They have dealt with this obstacle by building a proprietary bioreactor that allows good exposure to natural and artificial light, with the added benefit of easy access for harvesting and cleaning. The third key item is his

a s i n g l e ac r e o f a l g e a c a n p r o D u c e ov e r 5 , 0 0 0 g a l l o n s o f b i o D i e s e l p e r y e a r

(continued on page 2)

the department of

bioproducts &biosystemsengineering

College of Food, Agricultural and natural resource sciences / College of science and engineering

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ThE Blooming PoTEnTial of algaEas a “grEEn” rEnEwaBlE EnErgy sourcEThE Blooming PoTEnTial of algaEas a “grEEn” rEnEwaBlE EnErgy sourcEThE Blooming PoTEnTial of algaEas a “grEEn” rEnEwaBlE EnErgy sourcE

Dr. Min Min is conducting algae species screening in Dr. Ruan’s lab

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IN ThIS ISSUE:

The Blooming Potential of Algae

Note from Department head

William Wilcke Graduate Fellowship

Other fellowship and scholarships

October 27: Research PosterSession, Scholarship Lunch and

AC Meeting

Undergrad Spotlight: David Buck

Alumni Spotlight: James Barsness

New Faculty: Omar Espinoza

Faculty Profile: Dr. Jason hill

Research highlights

the department of

bioproducts &biosystemsengineering

research that led to the identification of several species and strains of algae found in local Minnesota waters that are capable of surviving the harsh wastewater conditions. Dr. Ruan has begun work on a demonstration-scale plant with up to 20 ton scale PBRs.

Dr. Brett Barney‘s primary research interests center around biosynthetic pathways for commodity fuels and high-value products from

select bacteria and algae. He is particularly interested in organisms from extreme environments and applications of these species in bioprocessing. His approach to growing algae is to create a defined media in which to grow the crop. This way, he can control the supply of specific nutrients for the algae to grow. He is focusing on ponds of very salty water – think how meat is cured in salt to prevent harmful bacteria from flourishing. His process could be carried out in almost any location. Dr. Barney and his group has also researched numerous strains of algae; zeroing in on specific cyanobacteria, also referred to as blue-green algae, which are capable of fixing nitrogen.

Dr. Bo Hu has recently applied for a patent for his method of harvesting microalgae - separating the algae from the culture medium. The current method of harvest uses flocculation and centrifugation, which is expensive because it is very labor intensive and uses a lot of energy. He is researching a method that would make it easier and more efficient to harvest the algae crop. Most algae are unicellular, not filamentous. Dr. Hu and his research group discovered that filamentous fungi - like the mold on bread - cultured together with microalgae, naturally forms pellets, making it easier to separate the algae from water. In addition, he has discovered that the pellitization of the cells alleviates mutual shading and optimizes cell growth. This allows more algae to grow in the same amount of space, thus resulting in higher yield.

Algae, as an alternative “green” energy source to fossil fuel has a very promising future. The research being done in BBE is helping us move towards that future.

Colleagues, Alums, Friends and Stakeholders,

Greetings! On behalf of the faculty, staff and students of the Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, I would like

to wish you and your family the very best for the Season and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!! Welcome to the second publication of our revised BBE newsletter.

I am very pleased to inform you that Dr. Omar Espinoza joined us as the Forest Products Management Development Institute (FPMDI) endowed chair, fully funded by the philanthropic support of the visionary leaders of the forest products industry. This is a first endowed chair for the department, and hopefully more to come. An article about Dr. Espinoza is included in this issue.

Many of you know Prof. Bill Wilke, who retired this year after 21 plus years of outstanding service and contributions. Please join me in wishing Bill the very best for his health and retirement. The North Central Regional Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR SARE) program successfully led by Bill for many years is continuing to do well under the able leadership of Prof. Vance Morey. Also, we are grateful to Bill for his kind generosity in establishing a Wilcke graduate fellowship continuing his legacy and interests in the area of sustainability.

Our student enrollment in the undergraduate and graduate programs continue to increase. The BBE engineering major now has over 125 highly qualified students enrolled in the program and we are confident this will continue to grow even more in the future. The student enrollment in undergraduate programs in CFANS is not as high and we are working on improving the same. Ann Bechtell joined us last spring and is helping with recruitment efforts, as well as retention, placement and scholarships for all of our programs.

On the teaching front, one of the success stories, amongst many others, that we are very proud of is the offering of a broad based introductory course on Renewable Energy and the Environment. Thanks to David Schmidt and many of our faculty, this summer we started offering this course completely online and there are over 1000 students taking this course during the academic year from throughout the campus. This is a great opportunity to educate a broad spectrum of students about the basics of renewable energy and the environment and help promote the visibility of our programs to a broad student audience.

Our fall BBE advisory council, scholarship recognition and research poster session was a grand success with over 180 in attendance – students, parents, industry members,

stakeholders, alumni – thanks to your continued support of our programs and scholarships for our students! Mr. Jack Staloch, VP, Cargill presented the keynote on the future challenges and opportunities in the agricultural sector. Please keep an eye out for our next year’s event and be sure to join us.

I am pleased to inform you that remodeling the historic BAE building in the heart of the St. Paul campus is the #1 priority in CFANS capital bonding request for 2014. The remodel would equip us with modern teaching and research facilities as well as housing all the BBE faculty, staff and students under one roof. This is a major capital project and we continue to seek lead donors who can help pave the way and lead us towards successful completion. We are seeking your continued support to help realize this dream.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your many philanthropic contributions and support of our students and programs. With declining state and federal funding and continued tough economic times, your philanthropy and continued support is even more needed and much appreciated. Please visit our web site www.bbe.umn.edu/Gifts to learn more about how you can help and make a difference.

I hope to see you in the New Year on campus! Please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. If you have any suggestions on the newsletter please let us know. We would love to hear from you.

Shri Ramaswamy, Professor and Head

noTE fromThE DEParTmEnT hEaD

BioBriEf(continued from page 1)

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Testing in Dr. Barney’s lab

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william wilckEgraDuaTE fEllowshiP william wilckEgraDuaTE fEllowshiP william wilckEgraDuaTE fEllowshiP

oThEr rEcEnTly EnDowEDgraDuaTE fEllowshiPs anD unDErgraDuaTE scholarshiPsoThEr rEcEnTly EnDowEDgraDuaTE fEllowshiPs anD unDErgraDuaTE scholarshiPsoThEr rEcEnTly EnDowEDgraDuaTE fEllowshiPs anD unDErgraDuaTE scholarshiPs

Earlier this year, Dr. Wilcke, BBE Professor Emeritus established the graduate fellowship to perpetuate his interest in sustainability and to guarantee the future professional work of the Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota.

bill was born and raised on a small diversified crop and livestock farm in northwest Iowa. Like most farms in the 1950s, hard work

and perseverance were valued. After graduating from Battle Creek High School, Bill received all three post high school degrees in Agricultural Engineering from Iowa State University at Ames, Iowa in 1976, 1980 and 1985. Bill focused on grain drying and storage with a minor in energy engineering.

His first job after receiving his PhD at Iowa State was at Virginia Tech at Blacksburg , Virginia in Extension Crop Drying and Storage. After almost four years at Virginia Tech, Bill was hired by the University of Minnesota in an extension and research position in post harvest crop drying and storage. He researched the storability of

grain under a variety of conditions and advised Minnesota farmers about their grain drying and storage systems.

Bill’s interest in sustainability grew. In 1996 he became the Minnesota State Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education (SARE) Coordinator and was elected to the North Central Regional SARE Administrative Council. He was also the responsible administrator for Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) in 2000 and 2001.

In 2002 he became the NCR-SARE Coordinator and remained in that position until disability forced him to give up the position in 2010.

STORMWATER AND EROSION SChOLARShIPThe Stormwater and Erosion program at the University of Minnesota provides comprehensive training for managing stormwater and reducing soil erosion from construction sites. It was created in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The program has successfully trained more than 12,000 construction personnel, including project managers, contractors, inspectors, designers and engineers. The purpose of the scholarships is to recognize and assist students majoring in Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering programs.

DONALDSON FOUNDATION SChOLARShIPThis endowed scholarship was established to support BBE students who are interested in studying bioproducts engineering. The Donaldson Foundation funds charitable causes on behalf of Donaldson Company, Inc. Donaldson is a leading worldwide provider of filtration systems that improve people’s lives, enhance Customers’ equipment performance, and protect the environment. They are a technology-driven company committed to satisfying their Customers’ needs for filtration solutions through innovative research and development, application expertise, and global presence.

FRED G. AND MARTY P. BERGSRUD FELLOWShIPFred was a faculty member of the Department of Agricultural Engineering from 1961 – 1997. He dedicates this Fellowship to his many mentors and colleagues in the department and to his wives: Joanne, who died in 2000 but supported him throughout his career; and Marty, his current spouse, whose support and help make this possible. Preference will be given to BBE graduate students interested in ecological engineering.

We are grateful for the faculty, alumni, stakeholders and industry who take an active role in the educational experience of BBE’s students. Donors are providing our students with opportunities that enrich their educational experience.

In this day and age of decreasing state and federal funding for research and especially for graduate students, Graduate Fellowships like the one established by Prof. Wilcke and Fred and Marty Bergsrud enables us to provide opportunity for graduate education and research for highly qualified students and help strengthen our graduate program. Consistent, long term funding opportunities provided by fellowships are much appreciated by faculty and students and they can complement competitive funding from external research grants. If you are interested in establishing a fellowship or contributing to a BBE graduate fellowship fund please contact Shri Ramaswamy at:shri@umn.edu. Thank you!

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ocT. 27, 2011ThE annual rEsEarch PosTEr sEssion, scholarshiP sTuDEnT rEcogniTion lunchEon, anD aDvisory council mEETing

ThE annual rEsEarch PosTEr sEssion, scholarshiP sTuDEnT rEcogniTion lunchEon, anD aDvisory council mEETing180 Attendence at event

57 Research posters showcased a wide-range of BBE research topics

45 Industries related to BBE were represented

54 Students received scholarships, totaling $84,500

Keynote speaker: Jack Staloch, VP, Global Technologies and Process Solutions, Cargill

I feel privileged to have received such an award and I

would like to express my gratitude to you for believing in

students like me. … The department has small class sizes,

making it easy to get to know the excellent faculty better.

The professors really care about what an individual

student is interested in and want us to do well not only

in school, but in life as well. - Tatiania Hakanson

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the department of

bioproducts &biosystemsengineeringBioBriEf

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I am writing to express my gratitude for the scholarship I

have received which is made possible by generous donors

like you. ….It means a lot to have support coming from

outside the university. - Samuel Koerner

The John Strait Scholarship I

received will help to lessen the

student loans I need to take out to

attend school and encourages me

to keep achieving in my classes.

Again, thank you very much for

helping me achieve my educational

and career goals. - Kate Grady

“

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ADvISORY BOARD MEMBERSBob Scarborough, Chair

Bruce Johnson, Viking Forest Products (Vice Chair)

Charles Abbas, ADM

Wayne Anderson, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Ted Bather, AMEC

Jim Gregory, Appleton

Sonia Maassel Jacobsen, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

David Kolsrud, DAK Renewable Energy

Larry Newell, Liberty Papers

Doug Osterberg, Appleton Coated

Dan Peterson, Toro

Art Rankin, North Central PIMA

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DaviD BuckunDErgraDuaTE ProfilEDaviD BuckunDErgraDuaTE ProfilEDaviD BuckunDErgraDuaTE ProfilE

jamEs BarsnEssalumni ProfilEjamEs BarsnEssalumni ProfilEjamEs BarsnEssalumni ProfilE

David Buck is a senior in Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering; specializing in Environmental and Ecological Engineering.He is double majoring in Spanish. Tell us about your backgroundI grew up in Brookfield, Wisconsin. I was involved in Boy Scouts and did a lot of hiking and camping.

I also was a member of the high school cross country team, concert band, and jazz band - all of which I was very passionate about. I played the alto saxophone. I worked at an Italian restaurant during high school; it was right across the street from the high school. how did you get interested in BBE? I came into college with interests in biology, math, and environmental issues and BBE fit all of those.

Do you participate in any student groups?I am involved with the ASABE student chapter and was the treasurer last year. I have also worked with the University’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders Guatemala Project. Tell us about your experiences with Engineers Without BordersMy time with Engineers Without Borders has been both educational and rewarding.

I have travelled to Guatemala twice and worked on three main projects. First, I worked on a project to design a 130,000 liter concrete tank and connected rainwater harvesting system. I helped construct this project in the summer of 2009. This system was implemented at a school, because many students there were unable to attend classes due to a village requirement of bringing water to class. Our project helped alleviate this problem. Second, I worked on fixes to the village’s gravity fed water distribution piping network to improve system capacity and equity. This project was put on hold, because a new village political body was elected and changed focus to the third project. This most recent project focused on making changes to the village’s gravity-fed water supply line, which is old and in need of repair. The village receives water from three springs about five kilometers from the village in the Guatemalan mountains. A group of students traveled to the village in August of 2011 to collect data and continue work with this project. I was the project leader for this portion of our work and have gained practical project management and leadership skills as a result. I gained engineering experience through real world projects; met volunteer engineers, which increased my network of contacts; and was able to practice and improve my Spanish.

What are your career goals? I hope to work in Latin America helping underprivileged communities get clean water, electricity, and sanitation facilities

What do you do to relax?I like to read, bike, and watch NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service). Also, I’ve developed a passion for cooking since coming to college and enjoy experimenting with new recipes. I often enjoy a good cup of tea while relaxing.

James Barsness graduated in the fall of 2006, part of the first class to receive a Bachelor

of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering. He entered the U with academic interests in engineering and natural resources. It was during freshman orientation that he learned about Paper Science and Engineering, a major which satisfied both his interests. Another draw was the very high job placement rate. A low faculty to student ratio was icing on the cake.

James was an involved undergrad. He played trumpet in the U of MN marching band, was involved in Alpha Gamma

Rho agricultural fraternity, served as a St. Paul Ambassador, and participated on the College of Natural Resources alumni board as a student representative. Within the BBE department, he was co-president of the TAPPI/PIMA student group and served as the student representative on several faculty search committees.

James had several opportunities to work in the field of Bioproducts Engineering. He completed a 7 month process engineering co-op at Appleton Papers and a summer internship at Liberty Paper. He also participated in a U of M UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program) and was an Undergraduate Research Assistant. These work experiences, says James, were very beneficial; providing him with an edge when it came time to interview for a full time job.

James is nearing his fifth year with Donaldson Company, Inc. in Bloomington, MN. Donaldson is a global filtration systems provider, with close to 13,000 employees and annual revenue of more than $2.2 billion. Donaldson supplies products for a wide variety of end-uses, such as filters in disk drives, air intake filters for construction, agricultural, and military vehicles, industrial dust collection systems, fuel, lube and hydraulic oil filters for vehicles, to name a few. The filters which Donaldson designs and manufactures require filter paper/media in order to function properly, and this is where James fits in. He works in a media development group as a research engineer, relying heavily on the knowledge of pulp and paper learned in BBE.

James and his wife Amber, also a U of M alumnus, live near Cannon Falls on a 5-acre hobby farm. They have 2 children - 3-year old Natalie and 1-year old Ben. They love listening to and playing music, watching Minnesota sports (despite the frequent let-downs), working around their property, and ski trips out West.

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He works in a media development group as a research engineer, relying heavily on the

knowledge of pulp and paper learned in bbe.

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Dr. jason hillfaculTy ProfilEDr. jason hillfaculTy ProfilEDr. jason hillfaculTy ProfilE

nEw faculTy Dr. omar EsPinozanEw faculTy Dr. omar EsPinozanEw faculTy Dr. omar EsPinoza

we are delighted to announce that, thanks to generous support from forest products industry leaders, the longstanding goal of creating an FPMDI endowed chair has been realized. This fall, after a year-long and thorough faculty search, Dr. Omar Espinoza joined the U of M as the FPMDI

Endowed Chair.

“I am very pleased to have Dr. Omar Espinoza join our faculty as the FPMDI chair,” says Dr. Shri Ramaswamy. “he brings an excellent mix of education and industry experience and a passion for the forest products industry and its success. his international business experience will be of tremendous value as the U.S. forest industry looks for ways to continue to expand its global reach and thrive in a global economy.”

Dr. Espinoza has a unique perspective about the challenges and opportunities facing enterprises in the forest products sector. From concerns about the sustainability of forest resources, to process improvement, to developing new markets and products, he has a “big picture” view of the different aspects of the forest products business.

In collaboration with colleagues at the University of Minnesota and in industry, he’d like to build a research and educational program that is recognized and respected as the leading source of knowledge and assistance to the industry. Dr. Espinoza also envisions building FPMDI into an integral resource for the forest products industry in Minnesota and beyond. He’d like to concentrate his research and teaching efforts towards integrating market performance, operational excellence, and environmental sustainability into product development and business management.

During the first 3 months in the position, Dr. Espinoza has been visiting with industry representatives and without exception has been very well received. He was impressed by the degree of sophistication of the manufacturing and distribution operations and is looking forward to visiting more companies to learn about their perspectives and identify potential areas of collaboration. He is currently developing a new web site for the FPMDI, which will be used as a communication tool for the industry, providing them with relevant information and research updates.

Dr. Espinoza sees great opportunities for the forest products industry, and they are related to recent developments in the global society. First, he says, there is a growing realization by society that wood is the most environmentally friendly material. Research has shown repeatedly that when forests are managed in a sustainable manner, the use of wood as a raw material has the least impact on the environment. If we are serious about reducing the impact of human activity on our natural resources, we have to consume more wood, not less. Second, we are seeing developing nations such as China, Brazil, and India improving the living standards of their inhabitants, with hundreds of millions of people being lifted from poverty in the last decade. As these countries develop strong middle classes, they will demand the same comfort and opportunities as citizens in rich nations. The only way to meet this growing demand in a sustainable manner is by using renewable materials and energy, and what better material than wood for this purpose? Additionally, Dr. Espinoza also see opportunities in the development of the bioenergy sector, where wood has played an essential role since prehistoric times (globally, half of the timber is used for energy and billions depend on firewood for their subsistence), but as new technologies develop and policies are created with the aim of increasing the share of renewable energy in our total energy consumption, demand for forest-derived biomass will increase, potentially favoring forest landowners, logging operations, sawmills and current forest products industry, which will have more outlets for their by-products. The U.S. is the world’s largest producer and consumer of forest products, and possesses the most productive forest resources, most of them managed sustainably. The U.S. forest products industry, with a highly educated workforce and a culture of entrepreneurship, is best positioned to benefit from these developments.

Dr. Espinoza is originally from Cochabamba, Bolivia. The country’s third largest city, it is located in a valley and surrounded by beautiful mountains. The climate is not cold as the altitude would suggest (8,000 feet), but is rather mild and pleasant throughout the year. Omar’s wife, Scarlett, is an industrial engineer and their, 15-year old son, Carlos, is a tennis enthusiast.

Dr. Hill’s research areas include the technological, environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainable

bioenergy production from traditional and next-generation feedstocks. He is particularly interested in bioenergy as it lies at the intersection of our food, energy, land, and natural resource use. His current focus is on how the expanding global biofuels industry affects climate change, biodiversity, and human health. Dr. Hill and his research group are currently working on a number of projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment. They are exploring how biomass

can best be produced on the landscape so as to maximize not only farm profitability but also to provide other ecosystem services such as greenhouse gas mitigation, wildlife habitat, clean water, and clean air, each of which has real value to the public as a whole. In their analyses they make use of a number of different techniques, including life cycle assessment, which is a way of evaluating the full suite of environmental impacts of products such as biofuels. It allows them to look at a biofuel’s entire supply chain of production and use, as well as at any related environmental effects that may occur from changes in market demand for products such as conventional petroleum-based transportation fuels or animal feed. The group is also developing methods for integrating spatial and temporal information into life cycle assessment, which will provide additional insight into how bioenergy production can be made more efficient and thereby have even lower environmental impact.

Established in 1987, the Forest Products Management Development Institute (FPMDI) provides vital information and education to forest products industry employees, members of forest products consumer groups, and others who help

shape national and regional forest policy. It also helps fill the need for wood science, forest products and related education, research and outreach by developing educational programs, educating students and tomorrow’s leaders and conducting relevant research and outreach for the forest products industry.

He is particularly interested in bioenergy as it lies at the intersection of our food, energy, land, and natural resource use.

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the department of

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BBE South BioAgEng Building 1390 Eckles Avenue

BBE North Kaufert Lab 2004 Folwell Avenue

St. Paul, MN 55108

CONTACT USe: bbe@umn.edu

p: 612.625.5200

If you have news you’d like to share:

seltz043@umn.edu

UPCOMING EvENTS:

May 2, 2012• Senior Capstone Design Presentation

• Advisory Board Meeting

Find us on:

http://z.umn.edu/facebookbbe http://z.umn.edu/twitterbbe http://z.umn.edu/linkedinbbe

integrating engineering, science, tecHnology anD management for sustainable use of renewable resources anD enHancement of tHe environment.bbe