BBE Seminar hosted at IonE
Biorenewables Systems Analysis at Iowa State University
Seminar led by: Robert Brown, Robert Brown, Guiping Hu, Mark Wright of Iowa State University
When/Where: Tuesday, October 23, 3:30pm, Room R380, LES
Thermochemical conversion of biomass feedstocks to transportation fuels is a promising avenue to sustainable energy security. Realizing this potential, however, requires careful evaluation of the technical, economic, environmental, and social impacts of biofuels. An integrated assessment framework for novel thermochemical biofuel pathway design will be discussed in this talk, including, commercial scale technoeconomic analysis (TEA), lifecycle assessment (LCA), supply chain management, and system optimization.
For the complete abstract: BBE Seminar Announcement
About the speakers:
Dr. Robert C. Brown is Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Gary and Donna Hoover Chair in Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University (ISU). He is the director of ISU’s Bioeconomy Institute and the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies. His research focuses on the thermochemical processing of biomass into energy, fuels, and chemicals.
Dr. Guiping Hu is an assistant professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. She also has affiliations with the Sustainable Agriculture graduate program and the Bioeconomy Institute at ISU. Her research interests include operations research and mathematical optimization models with applications on techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of bioenergy systems.
Dr. Mark Wright is an assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering and Bioeconomy Institute affiliate faculty at Iowa State University. Mark’s research interests include energy systems analysis, surrogate model development, and thermochemical biomass conversion.
Music, Math, and Culture: A Brief History of How Overtones Have Shaped Music
What: Friday Noon Seminar with Adam Clark; “BigBio’s singing gate, and the Pythagorean Comma: A brief history of how overtones have shaped music”
When: Friday, Oct 19th, Noon
Where: Ecology 150 (St. Paul campus)
When the wind blows by the deer fence surrounding the Big Biodiversity Experiment at Cedar Creek, the gate sings. In strong winds, the gate even harmonizes – playing octaves, perfect fifths, major thirds and, if you are lucky, a minor seventh! These sounds are called overtones - as the fence vibrates in the wind, it simultaneously oscillates at a predictably-spaced series of frequencies, determined by geometry and physics. The same processes govern the harmonics of musical instruments, determine how our ears hear sound, and have inspired, fascinated, and bedeviled humans around the world since music first was played. Using sound clips, videos, and just a little math, this talk introduces the inescapable natural laws behind the harmonic series, and how they have shaped the course of Western music, from Renaissance Polyphony and J.S. Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier” to AutoTune and Ke$ha.
This is an interdisciplinary event! Music-lovers, math-lovers, and history-buffs are strongly encouraged to attend!
Seminar on Organic Carbon
What: Part of the Department of Soil, Water and Climate’s Centennial Seminar Series, this seminar is titled:
Organic Carbon in a Changing Atmosphere: How Our Energy Choices Affect Air Quality and Climate Change
Who: Joost de Gouw from NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, CO
Where: 105 Cargill Building, St Paul Campus
When: Wednesday, Oct 10, 3-4pm
Refreshments will follow the talk!
WUSA!
WUSA or What’s Up in Sustainable Agriculture? will have its first seminar this Friday, October 5th.
This seminar will showcase the documentary film Dirty Work: The Story of Elsie’s Farm.
Bring your lunch and watch at noon in 306 Borlaug Hall. Sustainable snacks and Peace Coffee will also be available!
Can’t make it this Friday? Here’s a list of upcoming WUSA’s:
- October 12th, Sarah Holm Generation Organic
- October 17th, Alex Liebman Cover Cropping Urban Soils
- October 26th, Jan Joannides & Julie Ristau, Alternative Financing for Farm and Food Based Business
- ALL ARE 12- 1PM IN 306 BORLAUG HALL, ST PAUL CAMPUS
Info Session on Global Seminar in India
As part of the Acara program, assistant professor Julian Marshall is taking a group of students to New Delhi, India this winter break to explore sustainable development in the quickly developing country.
The world is faced with complex, but solvable, challenges. To make real changes, students and professionals must be prepared to collaborate across academic disciplines, continents, time zones, and cultures. They must also understand the role of governments, NGOs, communities, and other stakeholders in implementing solutions.
This new course will introduce students to development of infrastructure and services in communities in India. We will learn about engineering and design challenges in a rapidly-growing mega-city, Delhi. In addition to working with assistant professor Julian Marshall, the group will learn from and work with Indian faculty and students in Delhi.
See the link: India Global Seminar for all the details and attend the open house Tuesday, September 25 12:15-1:15 p.m. in the Mechanical Engineering Building, Room 1130 to get all your questions answered. There will be lunch provided!
