High School Sophomore Investigates Biomass Storage Conditions at the UTIA
Ms. Nicole Thompson, a sophomore at Clarkrange High School, Clarkrange, TN received a Third Place Award for a project completed this Spring for the 53rd Cumberland Plateau Regional Science and Engineering Fair, Cookeville, TN, entitled “Effects of Storage Conditions on Quality of Corn Stover for Bioethanol Synthesis.” Ms. Thompson received assistance from graduate student Lindsey Kline and Dr. Douglas G. Hayes, UT Deptment of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science.
Ms. Thompson tested the hypothesis that corn stover stored outdoors would possess a lower moisture content than that stored in a garage, which held true. In turn, the lower-moisture stover possessed a lower amount of cellulose, which would make it a lower-value feedstock for the conversion into ethanol, an important biofuel. Ms. Kline helped Ms. Thompson analyze the corn stover for its chemical composition, while Dr. Hayes helped Ms. Thompson conceptualize the research project.
Ms. Thompson will expand her work related to this project during the 2007-2008 academic year with assistance from Dr. Hayes and his research group. Ms. Kline will graduate with her Masters of Science degree in the Summer, 2007, semester.
FIGURE CAPTION: Ms. Lindsey Kline, a recent Masters of Science (Biosystems Engineering) graduate (left) assists Ms. Nicole Thompson (right), a sophomore at Clarkrange (TN) High School, analyze for the chemical composition of corn stover as part of the latter’s science fair project.
Hayes, Douglas G.
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