A message from the Department Head
Gary R. Sands
Summer greetings to all, from BBE! Talk of the MN State Fair is always a reminder that the fall semester is right around the corner. BBE faculty, staff, and students are anxious to return to a “normal” campus experience this fall. As of this writing, we are expecting to be back in the classrooms and labs with no social distancing requirement, donning masks, with a high vaccination rate within the campus community. We’re collectively crossing our fingers that there are no more disruptions to our academic mission from Covid!
Student Voices
Undergraduates get hands-on experience in environmental field research
Just after 7 a.m. on a humid Wednesday morning in July, Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering (BBE) sophomore Fayth Nystel is gathering plastic sampling bottles from the lab. She and fellow BBE Junior, Hunter Strubhart, have been working under BBE faculty member, Dr. Joe Magner, on environmental projects throughout the summer. Today they drove an hour and half east of the Twin Cities to Pipe Lake in Wisconsin, on a mission to collect surface and deep water samples to analyze later in the lab.
BBE Discovery
BBE researchers develop new tool to help farmers make crop input decisions
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and nitrogen water pollution from agriculture are top environmental priorities in the United States. Key to achieving climate goals is helping producers navigate carbon markets, while also helping the environment and improving farm income. A new tool developed by a BBE research team allows farmers to create a budget balance sheet of any nitrogen reduction plans and see the economic and environmental cost, return and margins, all customized to fields under their management.
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.
Investigating Nitrogen Fixation and Metabolic Pathways in the Plant Endophyte Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus
MS graduate: Erin Schwister
Advisor: Dr. Brett Barney
Read Schwister's full abstract.
A fungal secretome tailored to enable a radical (oxidative) wood decay mechanism in brown rot fungi
Ph.D. candidate: Jesus David Castano-Uruena
Advisor: Dr. Jonathan S. Schilling
Read Castano-Uruena's full abstract.
Understanding Cyanobacteria-based Biofertilizers in Soil-Water and Soil-Plant Systems
Ph.D. candidate: Adriana L. Alvarez De La Hoz
Advisor: Dr. Robert D. Gardner (deceased), and continued under of Dr. Bo Hu
Read Alvarez De La Hoz's full abstract.
Alumni Spotlight
Meghan Pieper
Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering '19
Awards & Honors
BBE faculty members receive MnDrive Environment seed grant awards for post-doctoral research
The grant recipients were announced on July 1, 2021. Three BBE faculty members will receive funding from the postdoctoral research scholar category in the sum of $71,000, Adjunct Assistant Professor Sara Heger, Professor Steve Severtson, and Assistant Professor Jiwei Zhang.
Part of the goal of the MnDRIVE Environment initiative is to stimulate new research in the area of bioremediation, with state, national, and societal benefits.
Managing Septic System Contaminants
There are over 600,000 subsurface sewage treatment systems (SSTS) processing over 40 billion gallons of wastewater per year in Minnesota. Even with proper siting and design there is the potential for nutrients to reach surface or groundwater.
Biochar and iron-enhanced sand (IES) have been found to be effective in treating stormwater but their performance for the treatment of wastewater from septic systems is poorly understood. Heger's project will test several types of biochar and IES’s effectiveness at removing contaminants from wastewater in the laboratory (1) with absorption testing, and (2) in enhanced soil columns to evaluate its potential to improve SSTS treatment.
Biological Remediation of Adhesives
Severtson and his team's project will identify combinations of fungal degradation for various pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) polymer compositions, structures, and product designs.
Their objective is to develop rapid techniques for identifying fungal species capable of degrading adhesive polymers. Such tests will facilitate the development of more sustainable commercial products tailored for subsequent bioremediation. Team members include Steve Severtson, Jiwei Zhang, Jesus Castaño, and Drew Hauge.
Using Fungus to Remediate "Forever Chemicals"
Fungi are an attractive option for the development of biological treatment for PFAS, namely “mycoremediation”. Leveraging the Zhang lab’s expertise in fungal biology with collaborators’ expertise in bioremediation and metabolite chemistry will allow for the development of a fungal platform to concurrently develop a bioremediation application for PFAS.
This interdisciplinary collaboration will also allow for elucidating the genetic and chemical pathways of fungal PFAS degradation, providing the basic information required to develop effective mycoremediation technologies.
Remembering Professor Elmer Schmidt
Schmidt taught in BBE for 27 Years
It is with great sadness we inform you of the passing of Professor Emeritus Elmer Schmidt. Elmer passed away peacefully on June 11, 2020 at his home in South Dakota with his family at his side.
Elmer was a valued member of our faculty for 27 years and was highly regarded for his work in wood degradation and preservation. His work involved the control and application of wood inhabiting fungi to improve the performance of wood products, evaluation of wood preservatives as a way to extend the life of wood products and conserve forest resources, and the control of fungal and enzymatic processes in wood degradation and in pulp and paper processes.
He was very involved in the International Research Group (IRG) on wood protection, American Wood Protection Association (AWPA), Forest Products Society and the International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS).
Upcoming Events & Announcements
Visit us at the State Fair!
Find BBE at the CFANS table in the Agriculture Horticulture Building
- Monday, August 30th from 3-6 p.m.
- Saturday, September 4th from 3-6 p.m.
CSE & CFANS mentor program 2021-22
Mentors do not need to be U of M graduates to participate, and mentors of all experience levels - from fresh out of college to retired - are welcome. Pairs can meet virtually or in person. The time commitment is generally 1-2 hours per month.
CFANS mentorship sign up deadline is Monday, Sept. 27.
You will be matched with a student in early November. The program runs from November-May.
CSE mentorship sign up deadline is Friday, Sept. 24.
You will be matched with a student in early October. The program runs from October-April.
Thank You Donors!
1st Place: PCA Team
Justin Mayer, Jeff Bernard, Harrison Woelfel, Chase Bernard packagingcorp.com
2nd Place: Albany 1 Team
Todd Hille, Steve Notsch, Sean Stockinger, Terry Carlson libertypaper.com
If you or your company would like to be a sponsor at next year event, please email: [email protected]; or [email protected]; or [email protected]
Be sure to mark your calendars for next year's tournament: Thursday June 16, 2022!
Thank you to our donors for providing continued support to our department. Student scholarships would not be possible without the generosity of all our donors, and we are deeply grateful for the continued support. Thank you, all!