Lab News


Trevor Zuroff - Best Presentation Award at the COE Research Symposium

posted Apr 18, 2013, 10:10 AM by Wayne Curtis   [ updated Apr 25, 2013, 9:22 PM ]

Congratulations Trevor on Best Oral Presentation at 2013 College of Engineering Research Symposium. for his talk entitled "Bioconversion of Cellulose to Ethanol With A Symbiotic Clostridium phytofermentans/Yeast Consortium"

Dr Curtis Participates in ARPA Energy Innovation Summit Technology Showcase

posted Mar 23, 2013, 11:56 AM by Wayne Curtis   [ updated Mar 23, 2013, 11:57 AM ]

The ARPA-e Energy Innovation Summit was held at the Gaylord Convention Center in Washington DC.  
Dr. Curtis presented a poster and had demonstrations of the multiplexed autotrophic screening apparatus at the technology showcase venue.  This involved over 250 posters and demonstrations where several thousand participants could discuss research during breakfast, lunch, dinner and evening sessions (over 8 hours of meeting time!).

This years 2013 poster was more conceptual to emphacise the ongoing 'pipeline' of genetic constructs being cloneed, conjugated and tested for hydrocarbon production under autotrophic growth conditions. 

Here is the link to the PSU-UKy project overview, and last years summit video demonstrations etc.     

Congratulations Taylor - Myriant Scholarship

posted Dec 13, 2012, 12:24 PM by Wayne Curtis

Taylor Maher is named one of the recipients of the first round of Myriant Corporation Scholarships for Excellence in Bio-Energy and Energy Sustainability!   

Labwork featured NSF Highlight

posted Dec 1, 2012, 7:41 PM by Wayne Curtis   [ updated Dec 1, 2012, 7:42 PM ]

Lab Algae work is presented as an NSF Highlight !

Sydney Wins SIVB Paper Competition

posted Jun 23, 2012, 7:35 AM by Wayne Curtis

Sydney Shaw won the oral paper competition at the 2112 World Congress in In Vitro Biology, Bellevue, Washington, June 4, 2012.  Competing against graduate students with an audience of > 100.  Talk entitled: An Improved Temporary Immersion Bioreactor Design for Plant Tissue Culture Propagation.

Jeff's Viral Vector Paper goes "Highly accessed"

posted Jun 12, 2012, 10:15 AM by Wayne Curtis   [ updated Jun 12, 2012, 10:17 AM ]

Jeff Larsen's paper entitled "RNA viral vectors for improved Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression of heterologous proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana cell suspensions and hairy roots" obtains the status of HIGHLY ACCESSED even before the final formatted version is available.  CONGRATULATIONS on recognition for the tremendous effort represented in this paper.  

Matt Wins AICHE Regional

posted Jun 12, 2012, 10:04 AM by Wayne Curtis   [ updated Jun 12, 2012, 10:10 AM ]

CONGRATULATIONS Matt Curtis on winning First place at the AIChE Regional Undergraduate Research Paper Competition held at Stevens Institute, April 14, 2012 (sorry for belated post).  Title (abstract linked):   An Improved Temporary Immersion Bioreactor for Plant Tissue Culture Propagation. This is now the 4th year in a row we have won this competition .... in reverse order Manuel Escotet, Ben Woolston, Brandon Curtis.

2012 Energy Innovation Summit - Washington DC

posted Mar 15, 2012, 5:02 PM by Wayne Curtis   [ updated May 25, 2012, 11:42 AM by Brandon Curtis ]

Dr Curtis and John Pisciotta attended this meeting including Bill Gates, Bill Clinton ... and a host of others.  
This included a substantial dog and pony show of the Autotrophinator (growth device), a Biocathode, an Online optical density sensor, and a prototype of the trickle bed autotrophic fermentor. 

Minimalist Lunch - Thursdays Sp 2012

posted Jan 27, 2012, 11:18 AM by Wayne Curtis

Minimalist Lunch is an effort to increase mutual awareness of what is going on in the laboratory.
Dont miss out on this chance to be a part of this non-virtual social network !  

EPA P3 Student Design Exp

posted Apr 19, 2011, 6:53 AM by Wayne Curtis   [ updated May 25, 2012, 11:43 AM by Brandon Curtis ]

The lab was well-represented by our poster and associated 20+ hours of discussing this topic to the public on "THE MALL" between the Washington Monument and the Nation's capital (http://www.epa.gov/ncer/p3/expo/index.html).  The rain made it memorable ... particularly the small river (and resulting mud) that ended engulfing much of the exhibits.

Amalie, Ben, Jackie, Erik ... Congratuations on your effort.  Please link some pictures of the trip! 

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