Southern Arkansas University Engineering students recently earned a second place finish for a poster presentation on biofuel research at a regional conference of
the American Society for Engineering Education in Springfield, Missouri.
SAU Engineering presented three research posters at the conference, and the winning work was titled “Making Biofuel to Run on a Mini Gas Turbine.”
Senior Mechanical Engineer major Justin Vanhoose, of Hooks, Texas, and Chemical Engineer junior Dakota Cooper, of Greenbrier, Arkansas, headed up the biodiesel experiment with SAU Engineering Asst. Professor Dr. Mahbub Ahmed. Also assisting were Dr. Gija Geme and Dr. Scott McKay of SAU’s College of Science and Engineering and their Natural Resource Research Center (NRRC).
“With depletion of the Earth’s natural resources as well as the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions increases, it is the job of scientists to come up with alternatives. The experiment was a success in that biofuel mixed with kerosene ran in the turbine while continuing to get similar results compared to just kerosene usage,” explained the research group in the summary conclusion with
the poster.
Students like Vanhoose and Cooper are able to get hands-on research experience and present their findings due to SAU’s small class sizes and student-centered atmosphere. Students also gain valuable skills through their work in the seven state-of-the-art laboratories in the NRRC, located directly behind SAU’s Science Center.
SAU Engineering launched in fall 2013, and already has grown to an enrollment of 172 students in its first two years. The program has gained attention as it is the only engineering degree program in south Arkansas, and it has a strong industry backing.
