NEWS

Last month, we announced (via email) that members and organizations of our Bioalgal Component team have been nominated for the "Who Makes A Difference" Algae Industry Magazine (AIM) 2015 International Readers Poll. According to AIM, the Poll's mission is to enable their readers to "recognize and reward innovation and excellence; convey who and what make a difference in the algae industry; celebrate innovative people, companies, laboratories, and technologies; and give AIM readers a go-to source for algae industry resources." Dave Hanson, Luke Spangenburg, Santa Fe Community College, and The New Mexico Consortium were nominated in various categories, and the winners were announced on January 15th. We're happy to say that our people and places took home awards in the categories for which they were nominated! Below is a list of the categories and winners that include our NM EPSCoR community, as well as descriptions of our winners from the magazine. Some categories had three winners, others had four.

Scientist or Researcher

1st: Tryg Lundquist, California Polytechnic State University
2nd: George Bonnin, MicroAlgues Provence
3rd: Stephen Mayfield, University of California, San Diego
4th: David Hanson, University of New Mexico—"At the University of New Mexico, David Hanson’s lab focuses on the “dark side” of photosynthesis, a.k.a the carbon reactions and, in particular, photosynthetic electron transport and photoprotection. In recent years, he has also become interested in the interactions between photosynthesis and respiration in illuminated leaves. His favorite organisms to study are bryophytes (especially hornworts) and other early land plants, though he works with everything from cyanobacteria to poplar trees. He has just finished co-editing volume 37 of the series Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration titled “Photosynthesis in Bryophytes and Early Land Plants” with Prof. Steven Rice of Union College."

Algae Laboratory

1st: New Mexico Consortium—"The NMC is a non-profit corporation formed by the three New Mexico research universities to advance scientific research and education in New Mexico. NMC pursues joint initiatives with LANL in Advanced Computing, Plant Biology, Biomedical Engineering and Modeling and Analysis. These initiatives leverage the technical strengths of the partnership to achieve technical advances in support of national priorities. NMC chooses technical areas where the partnership, working together, has a unique competitive advantage."
2nd: Cal Poly State University Algae Production Project
3rd: Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Scientists
4th: California Canter for Algae Biotechnology

Educational Institution

1st: University of California, San Diego
2nd: Cal Poly State University
3rd: Santa Fe Community College—"The SFCC Biofuels Center of Excellence algae facilities will see the expansion of their cultivation operations in 2016 to compliment their current photo bioreactor systems, allowing them to scale from a liter to an acre. SFCC will also expand their algal educational programs through an Algae Technology Educational Collaboration supported by the Department of Energy. SFCC strives to be the one of the leading facilities where education, industry and researchers can work together on demonstrating the many applications of algae. Their amazing team is dedicated to training and inspiring the next generation of leaders to take part in the integration of valuable solutions that algae can provide today and in the near future. SFCC offer certificates and degrees in Sustainable Technology programs such as Waste Water Operations, Water Conservation, Solar, Greenhouse Management, Aquaponics, Hydroponics, Green Building and Energy Efficiency, allowing their students and community to engage in the critical global issues of food, water and energy. Luke Spangenburg is Director of the Biofuels Center of Excellence."

Algae Ambassador

1st: John Benemann, MicroBio Engineering
2nd: Robert Henrikson, Smart Microfarms
3rd: Steven Mayfield, University of California, San Diego
4th: Luke Spangenburg, Santa Fe Community College—"Luke was first exposed to the algae industry by the Santa Fe Community College’s Sustainable Technologies program. Inspired by what he learned, he founded New Solutions Energy (NSE, Inc.), which focuses on cultivation technology, and ROI modeling tools. Currently Luke serves as the Director of the SFCC Biofuels Center of Excellence, which prides itself in offering a collaborative environment fostering growth and supporting local enterprise."

Congratulations to Luke, Dave, SFCC, and the New Mexico Consortium! You all deserve the recognition you've received for your amazing work in the bioalgal research industry. For a full list of categories and winners, visit the AIM website.