A message from the Department Head
Gary R. Sands
This colorful fall is quickly fading and winter is fast approaching. This semester has been a breath of fresh air with students back on campus, enjoying in-person learning again. The St. Paul campus seems to be humming with life as we’ve warmly welcomed back students, faculty, and staff to our buildings.
The first week of November we held our annual BBE showcase event and were able to recognize BBE and SSM students who were awarded undergraduate scholarships.
Student Voices
BBE and SSM scholarship recipient highlights
We hosted our annual BBE showcase virtually this year. During our showcase we recognized 72 BBE and SSM students who received academic scholarships from the department. Our scholarship funds totaled $188,000, supporting one of the largest number of scholarship recipients the department has had to date.
We asked one student from each major specialization what excites them most about their track, and how receiving this scholarship has impacted their experience in our program. Highlights of each student are below, with their full responses published on our website.
Learn about internship opportunities BBE undergraduates pursued over the last year. We talked with five students who shared their insight into the learning opportunities internships provide.
Fostering Forests
Sustainable Systems Management senior, Kelly Martichuski, keeps herself busy going to school full-time while also working full-time.
She's employed at a company called Forest Carbon Works (FCW), where she is a Cruise Coordinator. Martichuski hires and trains the field technicians for FCW, gives them hands-on experience, and updates FCW’s clients on their forests.
When asked how the SSM program fit into this she said, “I absolutely loved that this major combined some components of engineering, environmental science, economics, and so many other departments. I am such an eclectic person and love learning about all different subjects, and so with SSM that was all possible.”
BBE Discovery
BBE researchers part of $65mil funding from DOE to decarbonize aviation fuel
BBE professor Dr. Shri Ramaswamy and his team of researchers received $3.5mil in funding from the Department of Energy to research cost-effective, low-carbon biofuels. This project will be part of the US administration's new goal of decarbonizing the aviation sector by 2050.
Ramaswamy and his team will work with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and GEVO, Inc., companies that have operations in Minnesota making bioproducts, as well as Argonne National Laboratory based out of Illinois. They will couple isobutanol (a precursor for sustainable aviation fuel) fermentation with a membrane separations system – reducing energy used in the separation process by 50%.
Read the full project summary.
BBE professor reflects on attending the COP26 UN Climate Summit
Dr. Roger Ruan was selected to observe the COP26 UN Climate Summit held in Glasgow, Scotland this November. He shares his thoughts on the conference and how there was a missed opportunity to showcase essential technologies that could address climate change.
A glance into graduate research
BBSEM graduate students present their thesis projects as one of the final steps to earning their Master's or Ph.D degree.
Quantifying agrifood production and consumption at the U.S. metropolitan and county level to inform urban food system interventions
Ph.D. candidate: Peter Nixon
Advisor: Dr. Anu Ramaswami
Alumni Spotlight
She currently works for 3M in the Environmental, Health, and Safety Department and holds a Board of Directors position on the conservation board for the lake she grew up on.
Awards & Honors
BBE team part of five year, $10mil USDA NIFA project to diversify dominant corn-soybean system
Faculty members Dr. Jason Hill and Dr. Natalie Hunt are teaming up with Purdue University researchers in an effort to engage stakeholders across the agriculture industry. Their team received a five year, $10mil grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
They will work to create evidence-based plans to move the industry away from the dominant corn-soybean system, and "transition to resilient intensification and a more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable system."
The goal of the project is to transform farms, landscapes, and markets to generate a system that benefits more people, while also improving economic, social, and ecosystem services.
Upcoming Events & Announcements
Similar to past years, we are seeking open-ended problems that a team of senior students can solve in 14 weeks.
This experience is essential to our students’ education and provides project sponsors with the following benefits:
- A team of enthusiastic young students providing ideas and solutions for one of your company's problems.
- An opportunity to get to know and assess the skills of three or four students over the course of the semester.
- An opportunity to mentor the next generation of engineering and sustainable systems students.
- Visibility for your company at the final capstone presentations and promotional materials.
Thank you for your interest and support. Visit the links below for more info and to fill out the project proposal form!