Chemical engineer to present third annual SUNRISE lecture Kimberly Ogden, professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of Arizona, will discuss "Biofuel Production in Arid Climates, Is it Feasible?” at the third annual SUNRISE lecture at noon Friday, March 27, in 138 Abbott Hall.. Growth of non-food feed stock crops in arid regions has unique challenges. Although double cropping is feasible, extreme heat and lack of water bring an array of issues requiring research. Many plants including guayule, sweet sorghum, buffalo gourd, algae, and lesquerella are adjusted to the climate and therefore are potential feedstocks to produce biofuels and biooils. The advantages and disadvantages of these feedstocks will be presented. Algae also shows great promise for the future, however, low reactor productivity and dewatering limit the economic feasibility. Preliminary experimental results using sweet sorghum and algae for the production of biofuels will be presented and methods for overcoming the current challenges discussed. Dr. Ogden's research interests lie in the areas of bioremediation and biotechnology, with an emphasis on transport and fermentation processes. In particular, she investigates the effects of heavy metals on biodegradation and develops treatment strategies to remediate wastes (solid and liquid) containing mixtures of organics and heavy metals. She is the education thrust leader for the NSF/SRC Engineering Research Center for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing. Dr. Ogden is a member of the board of directors and a founding member of the Society of Biological Engineers. The SUNRISE Annual Lecture is sponsored by the Department of Energy EPSCoR Infrastructure Improvement Program. -- Wayne Seames, Director, SUNRISE, wayneseames@mail.und.edu, 7-2958