MSU hosts inaugural Inventors Day

April 12, 2008


MSU hosts inaugural Inventors Day

Students attempting to improve Michigan biofuels industry
Derek Wallbank
Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING - Sang-Hyuck Park has a vision for Michigan's economy.

It involves complicated terms like carbon sequestration and bioprospecting. In short, he hopes to make renewable fuels created from agricultural products more efficient.

"We need to lower the cost of bioenergy," Park said.

Park presented his ideas as part of Michigan State University's first Inventors Day, a student-created event where five research teams presented research-based solutions aimed at improving Michigan's biofuels industry.

The event, hosted by the Michigan Futures Seminar, a public policy group based at MSU's James Madison College, was intended to connect students, business and government leaders and create an opportunity for dialogue.

"One of the things we saw is that universities, business and government officials weren't communicating," said Matt Stuart, a political theory and constitutional democracy student who helped organize the event.

George Seroka, an engineering manager for DTE Energy, was one of the industry leaders at Inventors Day.

"As a utility, we are very interested in reducing our carbon footprint," Seroka said, adding that the utility was trying to move its energy portfolio toward more renewable energy.

The difficulty now in providing more alternative energy options, he said, is the difference in cost for consumers between fossil fuels and renewable fuels.

"If there's a way the research can close the economic gap between resources, then that would help us make the optimum choices in the future," he said. "We want to do what's right for the customers and for us."

Kristin Sulewski, a 22-year-old international relations and social relations senior who helped organize the event, said she was particularly intrigued by a proposal to use land that can't be commercially farmed to grow plants for biofuels.

"It's a step in the right direction," she said.

Other ideas include:

• Genetically engineering crops to yield more biofuels

• Modifications to internal combustion engines that could optimize ethanol-based fuels

• Using animal waste products to create biofuels.

"There are a lot of solutions out there to address the bioeconomy," said MSU student Alex Plum, another event organizer. "Maybe we're one small step on the way to that."