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Note from the Executive Director
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Reflections on 2020
I had many exciting plans when I began as Executive Director of RBI in February. Little did I know that by mid-March, Georgia Tech would shut down research activities due to COVID-19. I am grateful that to my knowledge relatively few staff, faculty and students have become ill. At the same time, I acknowledge the pandemic has taken a toll on those in RBI’s community who have had sick family members, lost loved ones or who face long-term side effects. I am also grateful for the many ways the RBI community came together during this strange ‘new normal’. I’m proud of the RBI faculty, staff, students and member company representatives. Your work in 2020 has contributed to our leadership in the nation and world in renewable bioproduct research and development. Here are just a few examples:
- COVID-19 mitigation efforts included contributing to the GT team that supplied 7000 gallons of hand sanitizer to campus and to other Georgia facilities, led by Seth Marder (CHEM) and involving expertise in nonwoven materials contributed by Chris Luettgen (CHBE, RBI Associate Director).
- RBI added two new strategic coordinators to its leadership team: Kyriaki Kalaitzidou (ME, Coordinator for Circular Materials) and Pamela Peralta-Yahya (CHEM, Coordinator for Bioindustrial Technology). Their addition reflects RBI’s new emphasis on the circular economy and applying synthetic biology to advance renewable products.
- PSE fellowship PhD students, unable to carry out lab work from March to July, pivoted and used the time to focus on analysis of results and writing papers. When labs re-opened in July, these students engaged in a safe return to campus research work by following plans for reduced density, mask usage and surveillance testing.
- We carried out our first virtual, international Biorefinery Workshop in October. Organized by Matthew Realff (ChBE, RBI Strategic Coordinator for Biorefining Systems) and Ryan Lively (ChBE, Integrated Separations Science and Engineering Center), attracted over 70 attendees from 12 countries.
- Two PSE fellows, Nasreen Khan won first-place in the 2020 Mars-Wrigley Sustainability Packathon, for their
RBI member companies and their representatives have been flexible and responsive in carrying out their important work remotely, including reviewing fellowship proposals and providing guidance. As we enter into this holiday season in the U.S., I wish each of you peace and happiness, that you will stay healthy, and enjoy the presence of family and friends. I look forward to continuing our work building a strong RBI research community with you in 2021.
Carson Meredith, Executive Director
Renewable Bioproducts Institute
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Bioindustrial Manufacturing Innovation Institute
That Includes Georgia Tech Wins $87 Million Award
Georgia Institute of Technology is a governing member of the BioIndustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem (BioMADE), a nonprofit that recently won a seven-year, $87 million award from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
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How WestRock is driving toward a more circular economy
In the midst of a record wildfire season, an extremely active hurricane season and a global pandemic that has shifted consumer habits online, a heightened arwareness of the impact we've had on the planet has bolstered a strong consumer driven imperative for more sustainable packaging.
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Biofuels Basics
Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass can be converted directly into liquid fuels, called "biofuels," to help meet transporation fuel needs. The two most common types of biofuels in use today are ethnol and biodiesel, both of which represent the first generation of biofuel technology.
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Job Opportunity
University of Houston-Cullen College of Engineering
Assistant Professor-Chemical Engineering-(FAC001599)
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