Vital as it may seem, soil as we know it is not necessarily required to grow a plant. In fact, there are a number of benefits–such as resource and water management–to growing plants in substrate rather than traditional soil. However, the use of soilless techniques is still developing and research is ongoing.
In the latest issue of Inside ASABE, delivered November 27th, 2018, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Professor Isaya Kisekka has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to the organization.
From 2012 to 2017, an unprecedented approximately 129 million trees have died in California's forests. When this is coupled with overcrowding stemming from 20th century forest management practices, a picture of California's forests begins to emerge that underscores the sheer volume of forest biomass.
Nicholas Bowden, a UC Davis Ph.D candidate currently working in the Energy and Graduate Group, presented his recent work on the Rural Rwanda Solar System Initiative. Working in conjunction with others, Nicholas hopes to help bring energy to rural Rwandans that currently do not have access.
The 2018 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition results are in and Cenozoic, a team made up of members from the departments of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Molecular and Cellular Biology, was one of only seven undergraduate teams in the United States to win a gold medal. In addition, the team won "Best Measurement" award and were nominated for "Best Presentation" in the undergraduate division.
Jerome Carman, Senior Research Engineer for the Schatz Energy Research Center, discussed the research and methodologies the California Biopower Impact (CBI) Project is taking to contribute to the solution.
Lisa Illes, fourth-year Biological Systems Engineering major, is working with Michaela Poblete (Computer Science), Julia Morris (Science and Technology Studies), and Livia Morris (Science and Technology Studies /Cognitive Science) as University Innovation Fellows. They have been working with the Office of the Provost and several departments on campus to build programs promoting interdisciplinary and industry collaborations on campus.
Graduate student Kelley Drechsler was recently featured in the Appeal-Democrat for her work at the Nickles Soil Lab in Arbukle, California. Drechsler’s work surrounds the watering of almond varieties.
The Biological and Agricultural Engineering department at UC Davis welcomed guests from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and UC San Diego during a two day workshop October 16th-17th made possible by funding from the Global Incentive Fund (GIF). The joint workshop was an opportunity to learn more about the current trends in gasification, biofuels, and synthesis gas (syngas).
