ESSP/Laguette Presentation: Switchgrass
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences
Contact: Mike Hill/Phone: 701-777-6071
April 9, 2008
Switchgrass for Biofuel in the Northern Great Plains
Presented by Dr. Soizik Laguette
Earth System Science and Policy
(Grand Forks, North Dakota): Switchgrass, a native, perennial, warm-season grass, is a potential renewable bioenergy crop for North Dakota and the Northern Great Plains region. Switchgrass biomass can be burned directly to generate electricity or can be converted into biofuel products. It also has distinct environmental advantages.
Soizik Laguette, assistant professor in the Earth System Science and Policy (ESSP) department at the University of North Dakota, will discuss the adoption of switchgrass into traditional cropping systems in the Northern Plains and its potential economic and environmental benefits at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, in Clifford Hall (Room 210).
Besides switchgrass production for energy purposes, switchgrass may also help control soil erosion, reduce runoff of harmful chemicals to the environment, increase soil organic matter and improve soil quality, and provide valuable wildlife habitat. Economic benefits depend, in part, on finding suitable lands regionally for optimal switchgrass production, and whether switchgrass would be commercially competitive with other crops grown in the Northern Plains.
The presentation is part of the Northern Great Plains Center for People and the Environment spring 2008 colloquium series. For more information contact Michael Hill at 777-6071, or hillmj@aero.und.edu.
About UND Aerospace:
UND Aerospace, which includes the Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota and the UND Aerospace Foundation (UNDAF), is an international leader in collegiate and contract aviation education and training services flying over 100,000 hours per year in over 120 aircraft. UNDAF also has facilities in Spokane, Washington, with Spokane Falls Community College; Lumberton, North Carolina, with Robeson Community College; Phoenix, Arizona, in conjunction with Chandler-Gilbert Community College; Williston, North Dakota, with Williston State College; and Crookston, Minnesota, with the University of Minnesota in addition to its home-base in Grand Forks, North Dakota. With more than 2,000 students from throughout the world, the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is the second largest college at the University of North Dakota. Undergraduate and graduate programs leading to a variety of rewarding careers in aerospace are offered through five different academic departments: aviation, atmospheric sciences, computer science, earth system science and policy, and space studies. The UND Aerospace training complex is the most technologically advanced environment for aerospace education, training and research in the world.
In 2008, UND Aerospace will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. A series of regional alumni gatherings will be held across the country, as well as several events during UND’s Homecoming and 125th anniversary on October 13-18. For an updated listing of events, see www.undaerospace.com or www.undalumni.org.
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