Dr. Mark Riley serves as both the Associate Director of the Energy Center for Biofuels and Bioproducts and as the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering.  He is the former department head of biological systems engineering.  Dr. Riley provides leadership in the area of bioprocess engineering and biosensors.  He also leads UNL’s efforts to connect with industry and government agencies in these areas.  Dr. Riley has been inducted as a Fellow into the American Association for the Advancement of Science and will be inducted into the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers.  He is also regarded for his national leadership in advancing the field of biological engineering, which integrates life sciences and engineering to create new knowledge, products and processes.

The RMEL Foundation purpose is to award scholarships to deserving and qualified students in engineering, business, information systems, plant, line or distribution technology, line worker or other curriculum related to the electric energy industry.

Awards will be made in two categories:

The Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research (NCESR) is taking applications for the summer undergraduate internship in energy sciences research. The Darrell J. Nelson Summer Undergraduate Internship in Energy Sciences Research is being offered for the fifth time in the amount up to $5,000 per recipient for the summer of 2018. For additional information about the 2018 application requirements, click here: 2018 NCSER Summer Internship Info Sheet.  For a copy of the application form (Word document),  click here: NCESR Summer Undergraduate Internship – 2018 Application Form  To learn more about previous summer undergraduate internship projects, go to http://ncesr.unl.edu/?page_id=8120

The Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research has just released a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking innovative laboratory instrumentation proposals that will facilitate energy sciences research.  This grant is considered seed funding to help UNL faculty develop energy-related research capacity and improve competitiveness for external funding.  Funding for this opportunity is made possible through an investment in energy sciences research by the Nebraska Public Power District. NCESR Cycle 12 instrumentation RFP.

Proposals may be submitted beginning October 9.  To submit a proposal, go to http://ncesr.unl.edu/event.php?eventID=2924  The deadline to submit the proposal is November 3, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. CDT.

If you have any questions concerning this RFP, please contact Michael Nastasi (402-472-3852 or mnastasi2@unl.edu).  You may also leave a message with Lorraine Moon, Office Associate (402-472-6082 or lmoon1@unl.edu).

The attached  article “Identification and Metabolite Profiling of Chemical Activators of Lipid Accumulation in Green Algae” by Concetta DiRusso (UNL Department of Biochemistry) reports on the compounds under patent application showing unique increase of algal lipid storage during growth that is coincident with unique metabolite profiles, both polar and non polar compounds.  The profiles are very different from that which occurs in nitrogen starvation, the most common condition used to increase lipid production and storage.

Erin Murray is the new Program Coordinator in the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research. In this role, she will provide business and program support, including overseeing financial management, marketing and outreach and providing support for grants development and coordination of research groups.  She will share her time with the Office of Research, assisting them with business and finance needs as well. Erin came to us from the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts where she was the Financial Specialist in the Dean’s Office.

The Energy Center Summer Interns and the Bioenergy REU (NSF funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates) interns journeyed to the Sheldon Station on Tuesday, June 13, 2017.   The Sheldon Station is a coal-fired generating plant located near Hallam, Nebraska.  Once there, the interns were greeted by Lee Sauter, one of our Sheldon Plant tour guides, and Alan Dostal, Corporate Nuclear Business Manager from NPPD.  A video about the Sheldon Station gave the interns background information that was helpful to them as they toured the facility.  Throughout the tour, the students had the opportunity to ask many questions while they learned about the process of converting coal to energy. Sheldon Station Tour June 13, 2017

The Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research released its Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking innovative energy sciences research and collaboration ideas from UNL faculty.  This is the twelvth annual cycle in which UNL faculty can compete in this internal competition for energy research grants.  These grants are considered seed funding to help UNL faculty develop energy-related research capacity and improve their competitiveness for external funding.  Funding for this opportunity is made possible through an investment in energy sciences research by the Nebraska Public Power District ( click here to view NCESR Cycle 12 RFP ).  The deadline to submit a pre-proposal is May 19, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. CDT.   Full proposals will be by invitation only.

If you have any questions concerning this RFP, please contact Michael Nastasi (402-472-3852 or mnastasi2@unl.edu).  You may also leave a message with Lorraine Moon, Office Associate (402-472-6082 or lmoon1@unl.edu).

The Spring 2017 Research Fair hosted one-hundred and sixty-eight UNL graduate students on  April 5 in the Nebraska Union. These students gathered to showcase their research and creative accomplishments by displaying posters.  Twelve of those students were sponsored by Energy Center projects. All of the posters were judged.  Winners in the various categories received a travel grant.  Erome Daniel Hankore, one of the Energy Center students, received a $400 travel grant for her poster.   To view the posters, click here .

Back Row: Michael Nastasi (Director NCESR), Andrew Myers (intern), Ehsan Rezaei (Postdoc with Joseph Turner), Evan Updike (intern), Adam Liska (faculty advisor to Evan), Alan Dostal (NPPD), Nang Nguyen (NPPD). Front Row: Quynh Tran (intern), David Berkowiz (faculty advisor to Quynh), Matthew Penne (intern), Wei Qiao (faculty advisor to Matthew), Jerry Hudgins (Associate Director NCESR)

Four undergraduate students were selected as recipients of the Darrell J. Nelson Summer Undergraduate Internship in Energy Sciences Research for the summer of 2017.  The four recipients and their supervising faculty members are:  Quynh Tran (David Berkowitz, Department of Chemistry),  Matthew Penne (Wei Qiao, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering), Andrew Myers (Joseph Turner, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering), and Evan Updike (Adam Liska, Department of Biological Systems Engineering).  The internship is named after Mr. Darrell J. Nelson, who served 41 years on the Custer County Public Power District and Nebraska Public Power (NPPD) Boards.  Continue reading →