NCERC Team Travels to West Coast to Meet with Clients and Collaborators |
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Following a busy conference season in the fall of 2021, NCERC's leadership team made one final trip to Bay Area of California to meet with potential clients and collaborators before the end of the calendar year. With industry on the rebound from the COVID pandemic, there is a renewed sense of opportunity for early stage and growing companies that are scaling up biotechnologies in preparation of market entry.
This opportunity, accompanied by the Wet Lab Expansion taking place this year, there is a lot to be excited for in 2022! Be sure to stay tuned to all of NCERC's activities by keeping up with our monthly newsletter. If you have colleagues interested in getting on the list of subscribers, they can subscribe here. |
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Open Position: Assistant Director of Pilot Plant Technical Projects |
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The Assistant Director of Pilot Plant Technical Projects will be responsible for designing, directing and coordinating technical research projects in the Fermentation Suite and Pilot Plant at the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) located on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE).
The selected candidate will participate in and supervise the engineering design of all processes and modifications needed to meet client or grant-funded objectives for research projects to be conducted in the NCERC’s Pilot Plant. The Assistant Director duties will also include:
- Work with NCERC’s research team to specify equipment and obtain quotes from vendors;
- Coordinate Pilot Plant trials with the Director of Business Development & Client Relations, Director of Research, Director of Fermentation, Operations Manager, Operating Coordinators and Scientific Analysts;
- Lead and direct research projects as they’re being conducted in NCERC’s Pilot Plant and Fermentation Suite by ensuring that all milestones are met in preparation for research projects, appropriate data is collected, and data quality objectives are achieved during and after research projects;
- Work directly with clients and stakeholders performing research to design a scope of work, establish project budgets, and contribute to the documentation related to all research projects taking place within NCERC’s Fermentation Suite and Pilot Plant.
Additionally, the Assistant Director will lead and work collaboratively with NCERC’s Safety Committee to maintain facility safety. The Assistant Director may be assigned other related duties or tasks in support of the Center’s mission and goals. This position may also include up to 25% travel.
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Social Media Campaigns Feature Creative Approaches to Showcase Biotech |
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Last month, Christmas trees were everywhere, showcasing one of America's most beloved #woodybiomass products. In recent years, woody biomass as a feedstock for bioproducts has grown exponentially. To celebrate, we showcased novel technologies on our social media accounts. Click here to check out our #woodybiomass campaign on social media! |
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NCERC's Annual Report Recaps FY2021 Activities and Achievements |
In October, NCERC published its FY2021 Annual Report, which summarizes our activities and achievements from July 2020 to June 2021.
This document is a great way to learn about NCERC's capabilities and research priorities, and is a tool NCERC's stakeholders are encouraged to use to share NCERC's mission with colleagues.
In addition to a month by month summary, it includes a letter from NCERC's Director and a Staff Directory.
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Aquaculture
NCERC's research team has been working on an in-situ fermentation of corn kernel fiber with intentions to produce high-protein DDGS for use in an aquaculture feeding trial. The early results of this study were showcased at the 2021 FEW and work will continue in January with the support of students from SIUE.
Hemp to Biofuel Conversion
Work on hemp to biofuel conversion will continue this fall through funding provided to NCERC Director of Fermentation Dr. Jie Dong from a special SIUE funding program, COVID-19 Assigned Research Time, that enables assistant and associate professors to address promotion and tenure research activities that have been negatively impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic.
Isopentenol Scale Up
As a continued effort to scale up sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) conversion, NCERC has hired another graduate assistant who is assisting Dr. Dong in this area of his research throughout the academic year. This research is part of a larger group of researchers who submitted a grant proposal to the Dept of Energy's Bioenergy Technology Office in June with plans to commercialize a corn to isopentenol to SAF method. An NCERC Graduate Assistant working on this project presented a poster featuring research findings at the 2021 Alternative Fuels and Chemicals Coalition (AFCC) in November.
MSW to Biofuel Conversion
Through funding provided by SIUE’s Transitional and Exploratory Projects (STEP) grant program, NCERC will continue our research on the conversion of municipal solid waste (MSW), waste that comes from both residential and commercial sources, to biofuel. NCERC recently hired a graduate assistant to lead this research over the next academic year, with hopes that we will continue to scale up the conversion method initially established by Director of Research Dr. Yan Zhang. A special thanks to Waste Connections for providing quarterly samples of MSW! |
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Business Development Trip to Meet with NCERC Clients/Collaborators
San Francisco, CA
December 5 - 8
Meeting & Tour at Solano College
Vacaville, CA
December 8
Farm Bill Listening Session
NCERC Facility
December 13
Danforth Center Lunch & Learn
Virtual
December 14
RFA's Young Professionals Network Year-End Meeting
Virtual
December 15
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Trip to Southern Illinois University Carbondale to visit with Faculty and Staff of the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences
Carbondale, IL
January 11 - 12
SIUE Corporate Engagement Committee Meeting
Virtual
January 24
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National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC)
400 University Park Drive, Edwardsville, IL 62025
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