Energy & Environmental Systems weekly seminars

This spring, the Department of Energy and Environmental Systems will hold weekly seminars conducted by its doctoral students. All seminars will be held on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon. The location will vary between Fort IRC Room 410 and Gibbs 307.

The first seminar is this Thursday, Jan. 29, in Gibbs 307.

The seminars will cover a broad range of disciplines and topics, including carbon sequestration modeling, smart grid systems, sustainability in higher education, natural products’ immunotherapy effects on cancer, and topics relating to the NSF CREST Bioenergy Center and NSF Engineering Research Center for Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials.

Dates and topics for the entire series follow the jump.

Jan. 29, Gibbs 307

• Quentin Brown (Adviser: Dr. Shen, Applied Engineering Technology): “The Environmental and Economic Impacts of Regionally-Based Eco-Industrial Parks by Investigation through Size and Scale Relative to Local Population Density”
• John Eshun (Adviser: Dr. Wang, Natural Resources & Environmental Design / Biological Engineering): “Experimental Determination of the Physicochemical and Structural Evolution of Biomass Particles during Pyrolysis and Gasification”

Feb. 5, Gibbs 307

• Mohammad Rafati (Adviser: Dr. Wang, Natural Resources & Environmental Design / Biological Engineering): “Study of Fe-Based Catalysts for the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis of Liquid Fuels from Biomass-Derived Syngas”
• Kieu Le (Adviser: Dr. Reyes, Natural Resources & Environmental Design / Biological Engineering): “Carbon Sequestration Modeling with the EPIC and APEX Model for Vegetable Planted under Conservation and Conventional Tillage Systems in Three Countries”

Feb. 12, Fort IRC 410

• Frank Gronwald (Adviser: Dr. Chang, Civil Engineering): “Predicting Pollutant Concentration Using Multiple Air Dispersion Models in a 2-D Superensemble”
• Carlos Crawford (Adviser: Dr. Assefa, Chemistry): “The Use of Lanthanide Organic Frameworks for PeryleneTCD, Dibenzothiophene, and 2-Aminoanthracene Detection through Photophysical Methods”
• Will Bowen (Adviser: Dr. Zeng, Computer Systems Technology): “Data Analysis and Modeling for Smart Grid Systems”

Feb. 19, Fort IRC 410

• Kendra Whitehead (Adviser: Dr. Assefa, Chemistry): “Synthesis, Characterization, & Photoluminescence Studies of Lanthanide Phosphine Complexes”
• Nana Boakye-Boatan (Adviser: Dr. Shahbazi, Natural Resources & Environmental Design / Biological Engineering): “Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) of Miscanthus x Giganteus (MxG) for the Sustainable Production of Bioethanol”
• Vicki Smith-Foust (Adviser: Dr. Kurkalova, Economics): “Assessing Sustainability in Higher Education. A progress report on the impact of the ACUPCC on greenhouse gas reduction”

Feb. 26, Fort IRC 410

• Candice Young (Adviser: Dr. Waterman, Animal Science) – “Swine Dust Extract Exposure Facilitates Oxidative Stress in A549 Cells”
• Shalil Khanal (Adviser: Dr. Bhattarai, Bioengineering) – “Development of Bio-mimetic Coating on Magnesium-Based Implant Material”

March 5

Spring break, no seminar.

March 12, Fort IRC 410

• Rabin Gyawali (Adviser: Dr. Ibrahim, Food & Nutritional Sciences): “Impact of Hydrocolloids on Acid Whey Production and Quality of Greek Yogurt”
• Sujeeta Singh (Adviser: Dr. Bililign, Physics): “Measurement of the optical properties of Biomass Aerosols Using cavity ring down Spectroscopy and Nephelometry”
• Don Edralin (Adviser: Dr. Reyes, Biological Engineering): “’Yield of Vegetables and Soil Quality under Conservation Agriculture”

March 19

Conflict with Founder’s Day (10 a.m. to noon), no seminar

March 26, Gibbs 307

• Quazi Rahman (Adviser: Dr. Wang, Natural Resources & Environmental Design / Biological Engineering): “Production of Biodiesel and Organic Fertilizers from Wet Microalgae through Fermentation and Simultaneous Extraction & Transesterification (SET) Process”
• Emmanuel Ansah (Adviser: Dr. Wang, Natural Resources & Environmental Design / Biological Engineering): “Investigation of Biomass Pyrolysis using TGA-DSC-MS and Micro-pyrolyzer- GC/MS Units”

April 9, Fort IRC 410

• Jaime Green (Adviser: Dr. Bililign, Physics): “Aircraft-Based Sampling Techniques of Anthropogenic SO2 Emissions from the Lower Troposphere”
• Chakia McClendon (Adviser: Dr. Waterman, Animal Science): “Biomarkers of Airway Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Regulated by Exposure to Swine Production Environments”

April 16, Fort IRC 410

• Jennifer McBride (Adviser: Dr. Williams, Center of Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies): “Immunomodulatory Properties of Natural Products on Cancer”
  Richard Yeboah Abrokwah (Adviser: Dr. Kuila, Chemistry): “Development of Highly Stable Mesoporous Nanocatalysts for Hydrogen Production via Steam Reforming of Alcohols”
  Temitayo Obanla (Adviser: Dr. Ibrahim, Food and Nutritional Sciences): “Impact of Aspirin on Viability and Functionality of Lactobacillus rhamnosus”

April 23, Gibbs 307

• Maria Ortiz de Erive (Dr. Chen, Center of Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies): “Development of Slowly Digestible Starch”
• Zahra Moaddabdoost Baboli (Dr. Chen, Center of Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies): “Developing Nano-encapsulated Essential Oils as Antimicrobial Compounds for Persevering Fresh Fruits”

April 30, Fort IRC 410

• Obed Quaicoe (Adviser: Dr. Kurkalova, Economics): “Costs of Continuous Conservation Tillage Adoption”
• Dat Tran (Adviser: Dr. Kurkalova, Economics): “Combining Aggregate and Disaggregate Data to Model Tillage Choice Dynamics”
• Usama El-Hassan (Adviser: Dr. Kurkalova, Economics): “Renewable Biofuel Energy Sources in Sudan: Energy Independence, Environmental benefit and Economic Growth”