Athens, Ga. – Top U.S. and international scientists will provide insights into the scientific progress toward a future in which fuels and products are based on biomass at a symposium sponsored by the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 17-18.
This is the fifth year that CCRC has held the Georgia Glycoscience Symposium, which addresses topics in carbohydrate research. “This year’s symposium, ‘Glycoscience of Biomass for Biofuels and Bioproducts,’ is an excellent opportunity for the UGA research community to see cutting-edge research from the fast-moving bioenergy field,” said Alan Darvill, Regents Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Plant Biology, and director of the CCRC.
UGA is a partner in the BioEnergy Science Center, which is one of three projects funded by the Department of Energy to research how biomass is processed for bioenergy. CCRC is the lead in understanding the structures and functions of complex carbohydrates, the sugars in plants that can be processed into fuels, as well as other products now made from petroleum. UGA’s partners in the BESC include the DOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and other university and industry partners, as well as individual researchers from across the country. The UGA BESC team includes scientists in genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology, plant pathology, plant biology and crop and soil science.
The symposium begins Thursday, Sept. 17, with an evening reception and poster session followed by a panel discussion among academic, government and industry bioenergy leaders: Bruce Dale, associate director, Office of Biobased Technologies, Michigan State University; Martin Keller, associate laboratory director, Biological and Environmental Sciences Directorate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and Stuart Thomas, director, Technology Development, DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol, LLC. Lee Lynd, professor of chemical engineering, Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, will moderate.
Friday’s all-day program includes top experts from academia, government and industry in the fields of carbohydrate science, molecular biology, plant biology, microbiology and chemical engineering. Speakers represent all three DOE-funded projects-BESC, the Joint Bioenergy Institute and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, as well as other leading bioenergy research institutions. From UGA and the CCRC, professor of plant biology Michael Hahn will speak on the use of monoclonal antibodies to localize carbohydrate epitopes in biomass.
More than 200 people are expected to attend the symposium from UGA as well as other universities in the southeast, including Georgia Tech, Clemson University, the University of Tennessee, and Auburn University. The symposium will be viewed via live video feed at BESC partners across the U.S.
Co-sponsors for the symposium are CCRC, BESC, the UGA Office of the Vice President for Research, and Megazyme International Ireland Ltd.
Poster abstracts are due Sept. 4. On-site registration is $25. For information and to register, see http://www.ccrc.uga.edu/.
