News
Collaborative model for biotechnology education and training
February 2012
Article by members of the UC Davis community discussing components and opportunities in PhD training.
Abstract
UC Davis and its partners are addressing the need for innovation and entrepreneurship in graduate education and training. This paper will showcase the Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology graduate education program, cross- disciplinary partnerships and technology brokering. These interactions can bring diverse groups of individuals together to translate ideas into real world applications. The creation of intellectual and human capital at universities must be linked to financial capital and social capital. This can be accomplished by creating dense social networks. PhD programs in science and engineering must be transformed in order to stay relevant in the 21st century. UC Davis has been addressing these issues for close to 20 years and is now seeing significant outcomes.
Article by members of the UC Davis community discussing components and opportunities in PhD training.
Abstract
UC Davis and its partners are addressing the need for innovation and entrepreneurship in graduate education and training. This paper will showcase the Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology graduate education program, cross- disciplinary partnerships and technology brokering. These interactions can bring diverse groups of individuals together to translate ideas into real world applications. The creation of intellectual and human capital at universities must be linked to financial capital and social capital. This can be accomplished by creating dense social networks. PhD programs in science and engineering must be transformed in order to stay relevant in the 21st century. UC Davis has been addressing these issues for close to 20 years and is now seeing significant outcomes.
| The University of California, Davis, collaborative model for biotechnology education and training |
Algae U: A new website from McNair alum
November 2011
McNair Alumni Mark Lemos (cohort 2008) recently created a very nifty website focused on algae and its many uses. The website, titled "Algae U" short for Algae University, is a work in progress for Lemos who spent much of his undergraduate career at UNR conducting research on algae’s uses as a biofuel. Lemos had great success concentrating on biofuels; he won the Governor’s Cup award in the undergraduate category for his business plan for "EVO Fuels," and he was featured in the Silver and Blue magazine article which recognized his biofuel research. His website is a compilation of everything algae. It provides basic definitions of algae for the novice reader and more detailed technical articles about algae’s potential as a resource and revenue producer. He’s got graphs and maps, times lines of the history of algae research, and in one drop down menu an algae events calendar filling his audience in on "conferences, annual meetings, and other events related to algae research or algae commercialization." Lemos is now attending the University of California at Davis to work on his PhD in plant biology.
Check out the Algae U website at https://www.algaeu.com/
McNair Alumni Mark Lemos (cohort 2008) recently created a very nifty website focused on algae and its many uses. The website, titled "Algae U" short for Algae University, is a work in progress for Lemos who spent much of his undergraduate career at UNR conducting research on algae’s uses as a biofuel. Lemos had great success concentrating on biofuels; he won the Governor’s Cup award in the undergraduate category for his business plan for "EVO Fuels," and he was featured in the Silver and Blue magazine article which recognized his biofuel research. His website is a compilation of everything algae. It provides basic definitions of algae for the novice reader and more detailed technical articles about algae’s potential as a resource and revenue producer. He’s got graphs and maps, times lines of the history of algae research, and in one drop down menu an algae events calendar filling his audience in on "conferences, annual meetings, and other events related to algae research or algae commercialization." Lemos is now attending the University of California at Davis to work on his PhD in plant biology.
Check out the Algae U website at https://www.algaeu.com/
| McNair Scholars newsletter - Fall 2011 |
25 years since the Challenger explosion
April 2011
Mark Lemos (2008 cohort): The story of Ronald E. McNair is a true American inspiration. He was born into a family with humble beginnings and confronted by a society that was segregated by race. Constant adversity undoubtedly helped create the confidence and spirit that allowed him to rise above any of the disadvantages he had no control over.
Initially, I debated whether I should apply to the McNair Scholars Program, so I began researching the program and Dr. McNair. I was impressed with Dr. McNair. In his short life, Dr. McNair became an accomplished student, musician, and astronaut. As I continued reading, I discovered that Dr. McNair was one of seven astronauts on the Challenger space shuttle that exploded on January 28, 1986. I had to stop reading to gather myself. That was the exact day, month, and year I was born. Each year, I am reminded with the anniversary and memorial of Dr. McNair what it means to be a McNair scholar.
I am grateful for the opportunities that the McNair scholars program has afforded me: funding to pursue my own independent summer research, the opportunity to present my research at the University of California Berkeley, mentorship, navigating the graduate school application process, and a sense of community. After being accepted into the program, I discovered a group of peers who are among some of the hardest working, genuine, humble, and inspiring people that I have ever met. I believe Dr. McNair would be proud to know that 25 years after his death, a program in his honor continues to embody the character, perseverance, and commitment to education demonstrated by Dr. McNair.
Mark Lemos (2008 cohort): The story of Ronald E. McNair is a true American inspiration. He was born into a family with humble beginnings and confronted by a society that was segregated by race. Constant adversity undoubtedly helped create the confidence and spirit that allowed him to rise above any of the disadvantages he had no control over.
Initially, I debated whether I should apply to the McNair Scholars Program, so I began researching the program and Dr. McNair. I was impressed with Dr. McNair. In his short life, Dr. McNair became an accomplished student, musician, and astronaut. As I continued reading, I discovered that Dr. McNair was one of seven astronauts on the Challenger space shuttle that exploded on January 28, 1986. I had to stop reading to gather myself. That was the exact day, month, and year I was born. Each year, I am reminded with the anniversary and memorial of Dr. McNair what it means to be a McNair scholar.
I am grateful for the opportunities that the McNair scholars program has afforded me: funding to pursue my own independent summer research, the opportunity to present my research at the University of California Berkeley, mentorship, navigating the graduate school application process, and a sense of community. After being accepted into the program, I discovered a group of peers who are among some of the hardest working, genuine, humble, and inspiring people that I have ever met. I believe Dr. McNair would be proud to know that 25 years after his death, a program in his honor continues to embody the character, perseverance, and commitment to education demonstrated by Dr. McNair.
McNair Alums receive National Science Foundation graduate research fellowships
McNair alumni Mark Lemos (2008 cohort, currently attending the University of California, Davis) and Lina Castano-Duque (2009 cohort, currently attending Penn State University) were both awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) fellowships this spring! Mark said, “The NSF Create IGERT (1-2 years of funding) training grant and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (3 years of funding) pretty close to covers all of the necessary funding for my PhD.” At 30,000 dollars of funding per year, Lina’s Fellowship will certainly aid with her work as well! She said, “ The NSF has awarded me the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship. I wanted to thank you for letting me be part of the McNair Scholar Program in Nevada. I feel that all the wonderful accomplishments that I have today have been the result of the advice and orientation of many people, and the McNair Program is one of them. I really hope that the program can give as much help as possible to all the undergraduate students that, like me, have great dreams for the future.” As undergraduates, both students were mentored by Dr. John Cushman who teaches in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology departments.
| McNair Scholars newsletter - Spring 2011 |
From a bachelor’s degree to Ph.D-bound
June 08, 2009
By Jon Fortenbury
Mark Lemos never even considered going to graduate school before he joined the McNair Scholars Program. And now, as of May, he has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Nevada, Reno.“McNair convinced me that there’s a lot more opportunities if I do go to graduate school,” Lemos, a 23-year-old from Yerington, Nev., said. “It’s a pretty outstanding program.”
Graduating as the valedictorian at Yerington High School in 2004, Lemos only applied to the University of Nevada, Reno for college. Having an excellent high school GPA and coming from a low-income family, he expected to be offered more financial aid than he received. Thankfully, some people in his community stepped up and helped fund his first year.
“I felt real fortunate they were nice enough to do that,” Lemos said.
Lemos describes that experience as humbling. His sophomore year of college, he received more financial aid- enough to cover the costs of his schooling.
Later in his college years, McNair Scholars Assistant Director Marsha Dupree came to one of Lemos’ classes to talk about the research project that McNair offers. This interested Lemos.
Originally planning to earn his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry last spring, Lemos altered his plans. After joining the McNair Scholars Program- a program that helps prepare low-income and first generation college students for graduate school- he decided to get on a fast track program so he could earn both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree at the same time.
“I decided to just go for it,” Lemos said. “It was kind of a simple choice- one more year and you have a Master’s.”
The McNair Scholars program has greatly benefited Lemos. Aside from convincing him to go to graduate school, the McNair Scholars Program also helped Lemos by waiving his Ph.D application fees, providing him a GRE prep course and letters of recommendation, helping with financial aid questions and serving as another set of eyes for his resume and personal statement for graduate school.
Lemos also appreciated the community aspect of the McNair Scholars Program.
“It (McNair) was kind of interesting to become part of a family,” Lemos said. “You realize you’re not the only one who’s come from a different and nontraditional background.”
But perhaps the biggest thing that McNair Scholars helped Lemos with was the research project, in which he had the opportunity to present at the University of California, Berkeley. For this project, he’s looking at growing algae in Nevada and its use to make biofuels. He received the NSF-EPSCoR CIP Grant in 2007 to fund his research. He hopes to get his work published when he finishes it.
“I think it (doing a research project) will help because not only is research exciting and applicable but it also definitely gives me a competitive edge over some of the other applicants who may have not been fortunate enough to work in a research lab,” Lemos said.
Another thing that the McNair Scholars Program provided Lemos was great advising and wonderful mentors, such as Dupree.
“She’s (Marsha Dupree) really an amazing lady,” Lemos said. “She does a lot. She’s a good counselor, listens and gives good advice…she’s definitely a valuable resource to the program.”
Lemos has had many accomplishments since entering college. In 2006, for his business plan, Lemos received a third place award at the Institute for Innovation & Informatics Business Plan Competition. In 2007, he won first place at the Undergraduate Lt. Governor’s Cup Competition for the business plan that best employs clean, renewable or efficient energy technologies and services.
He received the “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges” award, which recognizes students for the work they do while in school, such as volunteer work, research, leadership roles and academics.
In the fall, Lemos plans to apply for Ph.D programs while continuing to work on his research project. He’s applied and got accepted into Ph.D programs at the University of Nevada, Reno PhD and Keck Graduate Institute but is still uncertain of his plans. He might do a Fulbright Fellowship. He also hopes to receive his Ph.D at the same time as his MBA, if possible.
After school, Lemos wants to combine science and business. He’d like to take aspects of his research and apply them to start up businesses and entrepreneurship. He finds it valuable to be able to talk to scientists as well as business people.
“To be able to bridge that gap (between science and business) is pretty intriguing to me,” Lemos said.
Dupree thinks Lemos will continue to do remarkable things after college.
“He has a lot of potential,” Dupree said. “In the future he will be someone we will read about because he’s so creative and he has some ideas that will help our community, our states and the world,” Dupree said.
By Jon Fortenbury
Mark Lemos never even considered going to graduate school before he joined the McNair Scholars Program. And now, as of May, he has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Nevada, Reno.“McNair convinced me that there’s a lot more opportunities if I do go to graduate school,” Lemos, a 23-year-old from Yerington, Nev., said. “It’s a pretty outstanding program.”
Graduating as the valedictorian at Yerington High School in 2004, Lemos only applied to the University of Nevada, Reno for college. Having an excellent high school GPA and coming from a low-income family, he expected to be offered more financial aid than he received. Thankfully, some people in his community stepped up and helped fund his first year.
“I felt real fortunate they were nice enough to do that,” Lemos said.
Lemos describes that experience as humbling. His sophomore year of college, he received more financial aid- enough to cover the costs of his schooling.
Later in his college years, McNair Scholars Assistant Director Marsha Dupree came to one of Lemos’ classes to talk about the research project that McNair offers. This interested Lemos.
Originally planning to earn his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry last spring, Lemos altered his plans. After joining the McNair Scholars Program- a program that helps prepare low-income and first generation college students for graduate school- he decided to get on a fast track program so he could earn both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree at the same time.
“I decided to just go for it,” Lemos said. “It was kind of a simple choice- one more year and you have a Master’s.”
The McNair Scholars program has greatly benefited Lemos. Aside from convincing him to go to graduate school, the McNair Scholars Program also helped Lemos by waiving his Ph.D application fees, providing him a GRE prep course and letters of recommendation, helping with financial aid questions and serving as another set of eyes for his resume and personal statement for graduate school.
Lemos also appreciated the community aspect of the McNair Scholars Program.
“It (McNair) was kind of interesting to become part of a family,” Lemos said. “You realize you’re not the only one who’s come from a different and nontraditional background.”
But perhaps the biggest thing that McNair Scholars helped Lemos with was the research project, in which he had the opportunity to present at the University of California, Berkeley. For this project, he’s looking at growing algae in Nevada and its use to make biofuels. He received the NSF-EPSCoR CIP Grant in 2007 to fund his research. He hopes to get his work published when he finishes it.
“I think it (doing a research project) will help because not only is research exciting and applicable but it also definitely gives me a competitive edge over some of the other applicants who may have not been fortunate enough to work in a research lab,” Lemos said.
Another thing that the McNair Scholars Program provided Lemos was great advising and wonderful mentors, such as Dupree.
“She’s (Marsha Dupree) really an amazing lady,” Lemos said. “She does a lot. She’s a good counselor, listens and gives good advice…she’s definitely a valuable resource to the program.”
Lemos has had many accomplishments since entering college. In 2006, for his business plan, Lemos received a third place award at the Institute for Innovation & Informatics Business Plan Competition. In 2007, he won first place at the Undergraduate Lt. Governor’s Cup Competition for the business plan that best employs clean, renewable or efficient energy technologies and services.
He received the “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges” award, which recognizes students for the work they do while in school, such as volunteer work, research, leadership roles and academics.
In the fall, Lemos plans to apply for Ph.D programs while continuing to work on his research project. He’s applied and got accepted into Ph.D programs at the University of Nevada, Reno PhD and Keck Graduate Institute but is still uncertain of his plans. He might do a Fulbright Fellowship. He also hopes to receive his Ph.D at the same time as his MBA, if possible.
After school, Lemos wants to combine science and business. He’d like to take aspects of his research and apply them to start up businesses and entrepreneurship. He finds it valuable to be able to talk to scientists as well as business people.
“To be able to bridge that gap (between science and business) is pretty intriguing to me,” Lemos said.
Dupree thinks Lemos will continue to do remarkable things after college.
“He has a lot of potential,” Dupree said. “In the future he will be someone we will read about because he’s so creative and he has some ideas that will help our community, our states and the world,” Dupree said.
Nevada Silver and Blue Winter 2009
Students’ algae research seeks to turn Nevada into biofuel powerhouse
By Elizabeth Welsh
Noted father of the naturalist movement, John Muir, found Nevada “barren, forbidding and shadeless.” Today, biotechnology graduate student Mark Lemos and biochemistry graduate student Leyla Hernandez-Gomez see a lush garden—ripe for growing algae. At the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology
and Natural Resources greenhouses on Valley Road, they are getting a chance to see if this garden will flourish on a large scale.
Under the guidance of John Cushman, biochemistry and molecular biology professor and director of the graduate program in biochemistry, Lemos and Hernandez-Gomez are about to take Nevada’s natural resources—an ample supply of sunlight, geothermal vents and vast tracts of barren land—and leverage them into the emerging field of alternative energy by converting algae into biofuel.
Algae—photosynthetic organisms that vary from the single-celled to large, ocean kelp—boast higher oil productivity when compared to crop-based biofuels, such as those made from corn and soybeans. Some strains of the microalgae—commonly known as pond scum—that would be grown for biofuel can produce as much as 50 percent oil content, according to Rachel Oliver, reporting recently for CNN. Algae are not part of the national food supply and require significantly less water per acre than traditional crops. In addition, they don’t require freshwater, but can flourish off wastewater or saltwater in desert areas, incapable of supporting other crops, Oliver notes. Algae also grows incredibly rapidly: it can double in just hours. For these reasons, algae have attracted interest from venture capitalists and companies like Chevron, Boeing and Airbus. The race to commercialize algae biofuel production is on, and Nevada stands ready to capitalize on its natural resources.
“I came to the University knowing I wanted to study biotechnology,” Lemos says. “Growing up in Yerington, I saw how hard my family worked at the geothermal plants. No matter the brilliant suggestions my uncle or my dad made to streamline company resources, they didn’t get to capitalize on them. That’s how I knew I needed more than scientific knowledge. I wanted to learn about developing a business based on science. Fortunately, Nevada has faculty who were excited about my ideas and wanted to see me succeed.”
As an undergraduate, Lemos consulted with Cushman, who guided him toward an accelerated five-year biotechnology program that offers a non-thesis research degree and gives students both a bachelor’s and master’s degree upon completion. Students in the program are required to do summer research internships in the biotechnology industry.
The graduate program seeks to produce well-trained researchers with theoretical knowledge, technical skills and real-world experience, meeting students’ interests in career-directed education. “Upon graduation, our students can find career opportunities as highly skilled researchers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries,” Cushman says. “The knowledge and skills they gain put them beyond entry-level positions.”
Growing green
Lemos and Cushman made valuable connections with industry executives and government entities interested in their algae research. Cushman received grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation SunGrant Initiative, and with assistance from energy industry consultants, Enegis LLC, has built both pilot- and demonstration-scale algal production ponds at the greenhouse complex. The first large-scale algae crop was harvested in December 2008.
Lemos and Hernandez-Gomez hope to demonstrate that algae can be grown in Nevada in commercial quantities year-round. “It’s rare to come across this combination of natural resources,” says Hernandez-Gomez, whose focus is to find an ideal algal strain in the lab. “Nowhere else is like Nevada. Other places don’t consider algae as viable because they would have to build bioreactors and cover their ponds. Algae need few resources to grow, and we’ve got them naturally.”
“Other researchers have noticed that once strains are cultured in captivity, that they sometimes will grow great in the flask, but not under the regular, large-scale conditions,” Hernandez-Gomez continues. “The algae strain that we have chosen to use in the experiment is being sequenced by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, so we can gain a lot of genetic information. We were worried when we put it in the pilot scale model and it didn’t take off right away. It now seems to be growing as expected—phew!” “We’ll continue to screen algae strains, analyze the oil content and focus on strains that do well outdoors before May,” Lemos says. Why before May? Lemos will be graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees this spring. The future is bright for this McNair Scholar.
The Ronald McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program prepares participants for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. Participants are from disadvantaged backgrounds and demonstrate strong academic potential. Institutions, like Nevada, work closely with participants as they complete their undergraduate requirements. The goal is to increase the attainment of Ph.D. degrees by students from underrepresented segments of society.
“I’m encouraged to look at other universities to diversify my education,” says Lemos, and then a smirk came across his face. “However, we had a graduate student from U.C. Berkeley come by a few weeks ago and he was pretty excited by what we’re doing here. I just may want to stick around.”
Source:
Click here for original story
By Elizabeth Welsh
Noted father of the naturalist movement, John Muir, found Nevada “barren, forbidding and shadeless.” Today, biotechnology graduate student Mark Lemos and biochemistry graduate student Leyla Hernandez-Gomez see a lush garden—ripe for growing algae. At the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology
and Natural Resources greenhouses on Valley Road, they are getting a chance to see if this garden will flourish on a large scale.
Under the guidance of John Cushman, biochemistry and molecular biology professor and director of the graduate program in biochemistry, Lemos and Hernandez-Gomez are about to take Nevada’s natural resources—an ample supply of sunlight, geothermal vents and vast tracts of barren land—and leverage them into the emerging field of alternative energy by converting algae into biofuel.
Algae—photosynthetic organisms that vary from the single-celled to large, ocean kelp—boast higher oil productivity when compared to crop-based biofuels, such as those made from corn and soybeans. Some strains of the microalgae—commonly known as pond scum—that would be grown for biofuel can produce as much as 50 percent oil content, according to Rachel Oliver, reporting recently for CNN. Algae are not part of the national food supply and require significantly less water per acre than traditional crops. In addition, they don’t require freshwater, but can flourish off wastewater or saltwater in desert areas, incapable of supporting other crops, Oliver notes. Algae also grows incredibly rapidly: it can double in just hours. For these reasons, algae have attracted interest from venture capitalists and companies like Chevron, Boeing and Airbus. The race to commercialize algae biofuel production is on, and Nevada stands ready to capitalize on its natural resources.
“I came to the University knowing I wanted to study biotechnology,” Lemos says. “Growing up in Yerington, I saw how hard my family worked at the geothermal plants. No matter the brilliant suggestions my uncle or my dad made to streamline company resources, they didn’t get to capitalize on them. That’s how I knew I needed more than scientific knowledge. I wanted to learn about developing a business based on science. Fortunately, Nevada has faculty who were excited about my ideas and wanted to see me succeed.”
As an undergraduate, Lemos consulted with Cushman, who guided him toward an accelerated five-year biotechnology program that offers a non-thesis research degree and gives students both a bachelor’s and master’s degree upon completion. Students in the program are required to do summer research internships in the biotechnology industry.
The graduate program seeks to produce well-trained researchers with theoretical knowledge, technical skills and real-world experience, meeting students’ interests in career-directed education. “Upon graduation, our students can find career opportunities as highly skilled researchers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries,” Cushman says. “The knowledge and skills they gain put them beyond entry-level positions.”
Growing green
Lemos and Cushman made valuable connections with industry executives and government entities interested in their algae research. Cushman received grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation SunGrant Initiative, and with assistance from energy industry consultants, Enegis LLC, has built both pilot- and demonstration-scale algal production ponds at the greenhouse complex. The first large-scale algae crop was harvested in December 2008.
Lemos and Hernandez-Gomez hope to demonstrate that algae can be grown in Nevada in commercial quantities year-round. “It’s rare to come across this combination of natural resources,” says Hernandez-Gomez, whose focus is to find an ideal algal strain in the lab. “Nowhere else is like Nevada. Other places don’t consider algae as viable because they would have to build bioreactors and cover their ponds. Algae need few resources to grow, and we’ve got them naturally.”
“Other researchers have noticed that once strains are cultured in captivity, that they sometimes will grow great in the flask, but not under the regular, large-scale conditions,” Hernandez-Gomez continues. “The algae strain that we have chosen to use in the experiment is being sequenced by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, so we can gain a lot of genetic information. We were worried when we put it in the pilot scale model and it didn’t take off right away. It now seems to be growing as expected—phew!” “We’ll continue to screen algae strains, analyze the oil content and focus on strains that do well outdoors before May,” Lemos says. Why before May? Lemos will be graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees this spring. The future is bright for this McNair Scholar.
The Ronald McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program prepares participants for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. Participants are from disadvantaged backgrounds and demonstrate strong academic potential. Institutions, like Nevada, work closely with participants as they complete their undergraduate requirements. The goal is to increase the attainment of Ph.D. degrees by students from underrepresented segments of society.
“I’m encouraged to look at other universities to diversify my education,” says Lemos, and then a smirk came across his face. “However, we had a graduate student from U.C. Berkeley come by a few weeks ago and he was pretty excited by what we’re doing here. I just may want to stick around.”
Source:
Click here for original story
| Nevada Silver and Blue - 2009 - Students’ algae research seeks to turn Nevada into biofuel powerhouse |
Fall 2008 McNair Scholars newsletter
Mark Lemos goes to Mexico
By Mark Lemos
“I’m going to be late. I’m going to miss my plane,” I kept thinking as I stood in the stagnant security line. RING. RING. RING. I grabbed my cell phone. “Where are you?” Leyla, my fellow lab researcher, asked. “I am in the security line. I will see you in a bit,” I really hoped I was right. I walked through the metal detector. “You are not allowed to carry anything through. Please step back,” said the security woman with an irritated look because I was holding my research poster. I walked through their scanner twice! Finally past security, I made the dash to my gate. “He’s here, ” the boarding pass woman said over the walkie-talkie to the pilot.
By Mark Lemos
“I’m going to be late. I’m going to miss my plane,” I kept thinking as I stood in the stagnant security line. RING. RING. RING. I grabbed my cell phone. “Where are you?” Leyla, my fellow lab researcher, asked. “I am in the security line. I will see you in a bit,” I really hoped I was right. I walked through the metal detector. “You are not allowed to carry anything through. Please step back,” said the security woman with an irritated look because I was holding my research poster. I walked through their scanner twice! Finally past security, I made the dash to my gate. “He’s here, ” the boarding pass woman said over the walkie-talkie to the pilot.
| McNair Scholars newsletter - 2008 |
Nevada Silver and Blue Spring 2008
Highlighting Reno Rodeo Foundation's commitment to scholarship at the University of Nevada Reno.
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Source: Page 124 when you open PDF
| Nevada Silver and Blue - 2008 - Reno Rodeo Foundation |
Nevada Silver and Blue Fall 2007
Story about Russ & Peggy Boynton support philanthropic support to the University of Nevada Reno.
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| Nevada Silver and Blue - 2007 - Russ & Peggy Boynton support philanthropic support to the University of Nevada Reno |
Innovation with Algae
By John Trent
Mark Lemos has always had the science part down pat.
From the time he entered the University of Nevada, Reno as a freshman from Yerington High School in Yerington, Nev., he knew he would be a major science major.
So it is interesting to note that the 21-year-old junior in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology within the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources finds himself surrounded by business types as he enters the final stages of the 2007 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup, a statewide collegiate competition where undergraduate and graduate students vie for cash awards in excess of $110,000.
And so far, Lemos is more than holding his own.
His “EVO Fuels” business plan has been chosen as a finalist in the Governor’s Cup Undergraduate category as well as in the Lt. Governor’s Award category -- a new division that specifically targets “green” business projects that will help the environment.
Just as the name suggests, “EVO Fuels,” represents perhaps the next important “evolution” of biofuels and their use in the state of Nevada.
“When I got involved with the competition, I wanted my project to have to do with alternative fuels,” Lemos said. “I thought ‘EVO Fuels’ was a good name, because it sounded like ‘evolving fuels,’ kind of a transition to alternative fuels.”
Lemos’ business plan is quite savvy in its use of natural resources that by themselves occur in only a handful of states. And, taken together as a group, are unique only to Nevada.
According to his business plan, Lemos’ company proposes to grow microalgae for biodiesel feedstock and other products while sequestering carbon emissions from power plants.
“EVO Fuels not only uses microalgae as a biofuel resource, it creates a multitude of other products and also sequesters C02,” Lemos said. “So you’re getting three different, independent profit models from biofuel resources. The other products would be biomass, which you could sell to the organic livestock feed market, or to the fertilizer market, or turn into heating pellets. They could also use the vitamins and antioxidant pigments from the microalgae for pharmaceutical products. And all of this would be in addition to sequestering CO2 from coal and gas-fired power plants.”
John Cushman, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University and chair of the graduate program in biochemistry in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, said Lemos’ project touches all the bases regarding renewable energy resources in the state.
“Mark’s project is leveraging resources that are unique to Nevada,” said Cushman, who also served as Lemos’ faculty advisor. “So what do we have here in Nevada? We have sunlight. We have geothermal. We have salt basins and open lands where we could put algal feedstocks into production in a scalable manner."
“You couldn’t do this in other areas of the country.”
Lemos said the biggest challenge for him was to learn how to communicate his business plan in ways that did not sound overly scientific.
“It’s definitely a lot more challenging,” he said. “You’re trying to do something that you’ve never done before. A lot of the business students, they’ve gone through the classes, and they know a lot of the terminology and jargon that goes along with business. Biochemistry students just don’t have that business background.”
To determine the winner, the competition will have two rounds of presentations. On Tuesday, April 17, Lt. Governor’s Award presentations will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Siena Hotel Casino Spa. On Thursday, April 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Siena, Governor’s Cup presentations will be held. The winners in both categories will be announced at 6:30 during the competition’s dinner and awards ceremony. The Lt. Governor’s Award first prize is $5,000. The Governor’s Cup first prize award is $20,000.
Though it will be nerve-wracking, Lemos, said he is ready for the challenge.
“I’ve already gone through a couple of dry runs,” he said, jokingly. “It was a good thing they were dry runs.”
“Just putting a business plan together and packaging all the information in one nice little package has been an amazing experience,” he added. “It has changed my perspective on why I’m getting my degree. I can leverage my scientific background and really use what I’ve learned here in a lot of new, different and exciting ways.”
Source:
Click here for original story
Mark Lemos has always had the science part down pat.
From the time he entered the University of Nevada, Reno as a freshman from Yerington High School in Yerington, Nev., he knew he would be a major science major.
So it is interesting to note that the 21-year-old junior in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology within the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources finds himself surrounded by business types as he enters the final stages of the 2007 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup, a statewide collegiate competition where undergraduate and graduate students vie for cash awards in excess of $110,000.
And so far, Lemos is more than holding his own.
His “EVO Fuels” business plan has been chosen as a finalist in the Governor’s Cup Undergraduate category as well as in the Lt. Governor’s Award category -- a new division that specifically targets “green” business projects that will help the environment.
Just as the name suggests, “EVO Fuels,” represents perhaps the next important “evolution” of biofuels and their use in the state of Nevada.
“When I got involved with the competition, I wanted my project to have to do with alternative fuels,” Lemos said. “I thought ‘EVO Fuels’ was a good name, because it sounded like ‘evolving fuels,’ kind of a transition to alternative fuels.”
Lemos’ business plan is quite savvy in its use of natural resources that by themselves occur in only a handful of states. And, taken together as a group, are unique only to Nevada.
According to his business plan, Lemos’ company proposes to grow microalgae for biodiesel feedstock and other products while sequestering carbon emissions from power plants.
“EVO Fuels not only uses microalgae as a biofuel resource, it creates a multitude of other products and also sequesters C02,” Lemos said. “So you’re getting three different, independent profit models from biofuel resources. The other products would be biomass, which you could sell to the organic livestock feed market, or to the fertilizer market, or turn into heating pellets. They could also use the vitamins and antioxidant pigments from the microalgae for pharmaceutical products. And all of this would be in addition to sequestering CO2 from coal and gas-fired power plants.”
John Cushman, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University and chair of the graduate program in biochemistry in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, said Lemos’ project touches all the bases regarding renewable energy resources in the state.
“Mark’s project is leveraging resources that are unique to Nevada,” said Cushman, who also served as Lemos’ faculty advisor. “So what do we have here in Nevada? We have sunlight. We have geothermal. We have salt basins and open lands where we could put algal feedstocks into production in a scalable manner."
“You couldn’t do this in other areas of the country.”
Lemos said the biggest challenge for him was to learn how to communicate his business plan in ways that did not sound overly scientific.
“It’s definitely a lot more challenging,” he said. “You’re trying to do something that you’ve never done before. A lot of the business students, they’ve gone through the classes, and they know a lot of the terminology and jargon that goes along with business. Biochemistry students just don’t have that business background.”
To determine the winner, the competition will have two rounds of presentations. On Tuesday, April 17, Lt. Governor’s Award presentations will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Siena Hotel Casino Spa. On Thursday, April 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Siena, Governor’s Cup presentations will be held. The winners in both categories will be announced at 6:30 during the competition’s dinner and awards ceremony. The Lt. Governor’s Award first prize is $5,000. The Governor’s Cup first prize award is $20,000.
Though it will be nerve-wracking, Lemos, said he is ready for the challenge.
“I’ve already gone through a couple of dry runs,” he said, jokingly. “It was a good thing they were dry runs.”
“Just putting a business plan together and packaging all the information in one nice little package has been an amazing experience,” he added. “It has changed my perspective on why I’m getting my degree. I can leverage my scientific background and really use what I’ve learned here in a lot of new, different and exciting ways.”
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Nevada Silver and Blue Summer 2006
Published letter sent to Bretzlaff Foundation, published in the Nevada Silver and Blue magazine.
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