Bioeconomy convenes at Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference 2019
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Each year, companies and professionals in the bioeconomy convene in Washington D.C. for the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference (ABLC).
This year, NCERC's Director of Research Dr. Yan Zhang and Director of Communications, Education and Workforce Initiatives Courtney Breckenridge met with policy makers, industry leaders, and researchers from across the world, including "Hot 50" bioeconomy companies.
"It is a great opportunity for NCERC to learn and stay current with technology and policy, and more importantly, to network and open doors for more grant, contractual and sponsored projects, for which NCERC is constantly striving," said Zhang.
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From left to right: Dr. Mark Poepsel (SIUE), Avery Anderson (BIOWIRE at SIUE), Cydney Dagen (BIOWIRE at SIUE), Eric McAfee (Aemetis), Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest), and Dr. Yan Zhang (NCERC)
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Thanks to the support of SIUE Provost Denise Cobb, Biofuels Digest publisher Jim Lane, and the E3 Fueling Growth USDA grant project, the NCERC was accompanied to ABLC by Dr. Mark Poepsel, Cydney Dagen, and Avery Anderson of
BIOWIRE at SIUE
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Highlights included a visit with Congressman Rodney Davis and an exclusive interview with Aemetis CEO Eric McAfee conducted by Dagen (see below).
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NCERC meets with DOE, USDA and Congressional Members and Staff in Washington D.C.
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Representation from The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center kicked off the start of April with a trip to Washington D.C. for meetings with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and congressional visits.
Executive Director John Caupert, Director of Research Dr. Yan Zhang and Director of Communications, Education and Workforce Initiatives Courtney Breckenridge
met with the DOE on collaboration and scale up of advanced biofuels.
After concluding a productive meeting with the DOE, the NCERC team traveled down Independence Avenue for meetings with the USDA, which focused on scale and scope of the USDA Biopreferred Program.
On Wednesday, April 3, the NCERC team started the day bright and early at an informative meeting with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The NCERC and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) were recently funded a $680,000 grant from USDA-NIFA, and utilized the opportunity in Washington to provide updates to grant leadership.
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Caupert conducted a number of congressional update meetings including visits with both U.S. Congressman Mike Bost (R-IL) and U.S. Congressman Rodney Davis (R-IL), both of whom serve on the House Agriculture Committee.
While in the offices of Congressmen Bost and Davis, Caupert thanked them for their tireless support of ethanol and their unwavering support of the NCERC.
Caupert concluded his D.C. trip by visiting Senator Dick Durbin. As on the House side, Caupert extended his thanks and appreciation to Senator Durbin for his continued support of the NCERC and also discussed the impact that Small Refinery Exemptions (SREs) have on farmers.
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NCERC hosts Job Fairs to staff upcoming Pilot Plant Project
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The NCERC is hosting a series of job fairs to staff both its Pilot Plant and Lab for an upcoming client project. On Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, interested candidates visited the Center for the Pilot Plant Job Fair, which consisted of a pre-test to measure technical skills, a plant tour, and a mock interview.
The NCERC is looking for individuals with mechanical, operational, and/or technical experience to work in the Pilot Plant during the project.
"These job fairs provide a flexible, unique opportunity to gain operating experience while getting an education. It's also a great way to showcase NCERC's assets and capabilities," said Ida Hand, NCERC Grants and Contracts Associate.
The NCERC will host the next series of job fairs to scout candidates for the lab on
Thursday, May 2 from 4 to 7 p.m.
and
Friday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m
. Individuals with a scientific background and strong analytical and problem-solving abilities are encouraged to attend.
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From left to right: Grants and Contracts Associate Ida Hand, Research Engineer Eric Beasley and Specialist of Commercialization Claire Weinzierl review candidate applications at the Pilot Plant Job Fair.
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NCERC hosts American Chemistry Society Regional Meeting
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The STL American Chemistry Society (ACS) Mass Spectrometry Discussion Group and Chromatography Discussion Group hosted a joint regional meeting last Thursday evening at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC).
Alexander Giachetti, a Forensic Toxicologist with the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s office, explained how his team utilizes Shimadzu products in their laboratory. Shimadzu is a global, leading manufacturer of analytical instrumentation. Shimadzu offers a unique program for academic institutions known as the Shimadzu Partnership for Academic Research and Quality of Life (SPARQ).
“We are thrilled by the opportunity to bring together regional mass spectrometry and chromatography experts for an evening at the Shimadzu Innovation Laboratory at SIUE,” Shimadzu Field Sales Engineer Matt Chaidez said. “I think the participants really enjoyed both Alex’s talk, which was like an episode of CSI: Miami brought to life, and the opportunity to visit with SIUE faculty and students.
NCERC Scientific Analyst Rachel Carpio and Visiting Research Fellow Whitney Friedrich attended the presentation. “Alex Giachetti really gave us a unique insight into the life of a forensic toxicologist. His work is truly inspiring and it is interesting to see how the Shimadzu LCMS-8060 can be used in method validation and quantification of drugs of abuse,” said Friederich.
Preceding the presentation, guests were invited to tour SIUE’s SPARQ analytical lab. The lab is a showcase of analytical innovation in SIUE’s University Park that focuses on big-picture, high visibility research impacting the biofuels and biomaterials industries, with interdisciplinary themes such as food, energy and water leading to joint grant proposals, publications, research presentation and intellectual property. The SPARQ Lab at SIUE is available for students to gain hands-on experience with sophisticated analytical instruments, enabling them to be more marketable to potential employers.
The ACS works to promote and engage professionals in the scientific community. A congressionally chartered nonprofit, the ACS membership consists of over 160,000 chemists and chemical engineers in the United States and worldwide.
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From left to right: Dr. Walter Gavlik (Chromatography Group Chair), Matthew Chaidez (Field Sales Engineer, Shimadzu), Alex Giachetti (Forensic Toxicologist, Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office), Dr. Henry Rohrs, Dan Folk, Dr. Kevin Tucker (Department of Chemistry, SIUE) and Dr. Yan Zhang (Director of Research, NCERC).
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NCERC presents at Helix Center at STL Partnership Business Center
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NCERC Director of Communications, Education and Workforce Initiatives Courtney Breckenridge, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Fermentation Chemist Jie Dong & and NCERC Director of Research Dr. Yan Zhang presented at The Helix Center on Wednesday, April 17.
The presenters showcased the NCERC's capabilities including its Pilot Plant, Fermentation Suite and Lab, and most importantly, the personnel with decades of experience dealing with research and scale up of biochemical conversions. The NCERC also presented upcoming opportunities for collaboration and research. The event was free to attend and guests were invited to participate in the discussion on biofuels and industry trends.
The Helix Center is a part of the St. Louis Partnership Business Center.
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Lewis & Clark Community College Career Fair
Godfrey, IL
April 3
Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference
Washington D.C.
April 3-5
SIUE Chemistry Club Tour
The NCERC
Edwardsville, IL
April 12
BioWire Tour at Osborn Barr + Paramore
St. Louis, MO
April 16
American Chemistry Society Regional Meeting
The NCERC
Edwardsville, IL
April 18
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Distillers Grains Symposium
Bloomington, MN
May 15-16
Joint BioEnergy Institute Annual Meeting
Monterey, CA
May 28-30
Fuel Ethanol Workshop
Indianapolis, IN
June 10-12
BioWorld Congress
Des Moines, IA
July 8-10
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National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC)
400 University Park Drive, Edwardsville, IL 62025
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