I hope you’ve enjoyed the fall color change–now we prepare to welcome winter. Thank you for the warm welcome! I am especially grateful to those who have offered me tips to survive my first Minnesota winter!
As the new kid on the block, I would like to briefly introduce myself, especially for people I have not had a chance to meet. I completed my undergraduate education in chemistry from Tianjin University, as well as my master’s in chemical engineering. I received a Ph.D. from New Jersey Institute of Technology, then followed up with postdoctoral training at Rutgers University on food science and active packaging. Prior to joining the U of M, I was a department chair at Howard University in Washington DC. In addition to the leadership role and administrative work, I am very passionate about teaching students and mentoring them in research projects in the area of enzyme-based biocatalysis for bioproduct conversions and environmental remediation.
Time goes fast! This is already my third month as department head, and I’ve been fortunate to meet many faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, and industry partners, who graciously provided me with support and constructive suggestions. With their valuable input, the department is working as a team to intensify our efforts in effective student recruitment, develop a strategic faculty hiring plan, promote best teaching practices, enhance our relationships with industry partners, increase our fundraising activities, strengthen our internal and external communications, and improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices for faculty, staff and students.
In this issue of BioBriEf, we celebrate the accomplishments of our BBE and SSM students and faculty. During our October Showcase day, 66 BBE and SSM students received scholarships thanks to the generous support from many of you. Thank you, all Council members, for participating in our Showcase events and providing invaluable advice.
Our BBE student Lauren Stach was featured in the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) news for her success and internship experience. A Ph.D. candidate, Vinni Thekkudan Novi, received the People's Choice award at Science in Seconds. Several faculty’s research projects have made the news headlines: Roger Ruan’s plastics pyrolysis work was highlighted by Chemical & Engineering News (October 10, 2022); Brett Barney’s “A sweeter side of algae” was mentioned by the Association of American Universities (AAU) newsletter (Leading Research Universities Report, November 4, 2022); Zhenong Jin’s “Nitrous oxide emissions from Corn Belt spike when soils freeze and thaw” project was featured in the U’s Research Brief; and Chris Lenhart’s work on Digging into Minnesota's peat for The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota appeared in MPR News.
I also would like to share a couple of exciting updates about the department. The student lounge in Kaufert Lab has been updated with new furniture; Mike Gunderson (General Manager at WestRock- St. Paul Mill) has been elected as the Advisory Council Board Member. Just a few bullet points for the events coming up (or ending soon):
- Save the date for our Spring fundraising gala at the Bell Museum on April 13 (more details to come soon).
- Give to the Max Day is November 17. BBE follows the CFANS campaign this year to fund for Black, Indigenous, and students of color scholarships. Your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $3,000!
- We are still seeking industry sponsors for our BBE and SSM capstone projects. If you have real-word small projects in your company, please let us students help with some engineering design or provide some sustainability assessments.
Lastly, I wish you and your family a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! When you are in the neighborhood, please stop by–I would love to meet with you in person!
Hua Zhao
Department Head and Professor
