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Dr. Bornhorst is originally from Houghton, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biosystems (Food) Engineering at Michigan State University in 2007. Following an internship at Kellogg Company, she began graduate school at UC Davis. She completed her Master’s degree in 2010 and PhD in 2012 in Biological Systems Engineering.

Brendan Higgins was recently awarded the Ernest E. Hill Fellowship to support his research on sustainable water treatment and algal biofuel production. Wastewater treatment processes have been reported to contribute 35 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions as carbon dioxide equivalents annually.  Brendan proposes to examine co-cultivation of algae and other microorganisms as a means of treating wastewater while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and producing biofuel.

Aviation Week recently published a new story about using unmanned aircraft for crop spraying.  This is the result of Dr. Ken Giles’ research.  Read the article here:  AW&ST_UAVs_19May14

For more information about the unmanned aircraft, read this article by UC Davis News.

Congratulations to Lauren Jabusch, a PhD student studying in Jean VanderGheynst’s lab, for winning one of the Sierra Nevada Region of Soroptimist International of the Americas Fellowships!  These fellowships are being offered to women who are in a Doctorial Graduate school program attending school in the Sierra Nevada Region.

Jabusch will receive her award at the Spring Conference of the Sierra Nevada Region of Soroptimist International of the Americas in Reno on April 26, 2015.

USA Today and other media outlets recently covered Adjunct Professor Zhongli Pan‘s research involving infrared heat to lower the amount of fat absorbed by potatoes when making French fries.  Dr. Pan, who is also an Agricultural Research Service scientist with USDA, was also highlighted in the Idaho’s Mason City Globe Gazette. 

Simon Staley, a biological systems engineering undergraduate working with Professor Jean VanderGheynst, was featured on an article about undergraduate research.  Read about his research in the Enterprise.

Congratulations to Dr.

For the past 18 years, Kameron has been the primary Safety Coordinator for the Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, as well as the Chemical Lab Manager and a Staff Research Associate.