‘biofuels’
Young Lab part of $10.7 million DOE-funded study of diatoms for next-gen biofuels
Jan. 20, 2018—Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a microscopic, single-celled algae with outsized potential. It is a leading contender to improve sustainable production of biodiesel and other products using seawater and carbon dioxide as raw materials. It captures and stores energy from light, grows quickly and contains a high proportion of lipids, which provide essential oils to much of...
Engineering alum, ExxonMobil SVP Jack P. Williams talks energy, offers advice
Apr. 2, 2015—Jack P. Williams (BE’86) launched his career as a drilling engineer for ExxonMobil in New Orleans and saw promotions that took him to Alaska and Malaysia before he settled into corporate headquarters in Texas. The Vanderbilt University School of Engineering alumnus soon will mark the end of his first year as senior vice president and...
Turning cellulose into biofuel: VU prof, grad student search for key on molecular level
Mar. 20, 2015—Nature exquisitely engineered a way to produce fuel from organic matter. The answer to how lies in decaying leaves on the forest floor or a backyard compost pile and the tiny amounts of energy those produce. Without understanding how enzymes are working to break down organic matter on the molecular level, human engineers can’t apply...
7 Vanderbilt engineers who found winter break was prime time for research
Jan. 2, 2015—Relieved undergraduates turned in their finals and jetted off for winter break a few weeks ago, leaving the halls at Vanderbilt University School of Engineering almost unnervingly empty. But there’s no break for research. Anyone in need of company could find labs full of Ph.D. candidates working practically the whole time. “We joke that one...