From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Jeff Mason is Executive Director of Michigan’s University Research Corridor.

“The URC is a collaboration between Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University to really try to leverage the strengths of the three institutions to grow and diversify Michigan’s economy,” Mason says.

Mason discusses a November visit to Ann Arbor by representatives of the National Institutes of Health.

“The URC is helping to bring NIH representatives to Michigan to spend time with university faculty and entrepreneurs to help them understand how to access NIH funding,” Mason says.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Conversation 5:37 – 3.2 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Bruce Dale is associate director of MSU’s Office of Biobased Technologies and a professor of chemical engineering and materials science at MSU.

Dale talks about what the bioeconomy is and describes the role of OBT at MSU. And he tells us what he means by “grassoline.”

Dale gives his views on the food vs. fuel debate and the controversy surrounding net energy. He describes his latest research on indirect land use, too.

“Sustainability is very personal to me,” says Dale. “A society built on non-renewable resources is a society thats always on the brink of ending. We’ve been acting for 100 years like there’s no end to oil and that’s dumb.”

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Conversation 17:36 – 10.1 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon have joined with business, labor and economic development leaders to announce a united Michigan campaign to help MSU win a national competition for the $550 million Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Levin has pledged his support for the massive project along with Gov. Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Reps. John Dingell and Mike Rogers.

The facility would bring in $1 billion in economic activity and 400 new jobs to Michigan, generating $187 million in new tax revenues over the next 20 years if it is located at MSU, according to an economic and fiscal impact analysis by Anderson Economic Group.

Reported by Russ White.

Hear the news report 10:08 – 5.8 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Steve Pueppke leads MSU’s Office of Biobased Technologies.

“The bioeconomy means unhooking the oil input into our economy and replacing it with stuff we can grow biologically,” says Peuppke. “That’s everything from wastes to switchgrass to forest resources.”

Pueppke provides an update on the bioeconomy movement at MSU and around the world, and he clears up the misconceptions swirling around the “food vs. fuel” debate. He tells of the latest progress at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and describes his role at the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Conversation 20:05 – 11.5 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Garth Motschenbacher is director of employer relations at MSU’s College of Engineering, and he leads the college’s Center for Spartan Engineering.

The center is a resource that connects engineering students to individualized learning opportunities. The goal of the center is to offer experiences that lead to the development of professional “Spartan” engineers.

Motschenbacher describes Spartan Engineers and tells how they’re different from other engineers. He talks about the experiential learning that goes into forming Spartan engineers. “MSU engineering students apply their education outside the classroom well before graduation to test what they’re learning in the real world,” says Motschenbacher. “And they’re ready to hit the ground running when they’re hired.”

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Conversation 12:18 – 7.0 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Matt Roush is editor of the Great Lakes IT Report – the authority on all things technology in the state and region.

Matt talks about the technology beat he helped begin back in 1995 and how it has evolved since then. And he discusses technology’s potential to impact Michigan’s changing economy.

Matt opines on where his two loves, technology and journalism, are headed in the future.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Conversation 15:19 – 8.8 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Satish Udpa is the dean of the College of Engineering at MSU.

Udpa says that engineering touches all aspects of our lives and that “engineers have practically put together this man-made world.” He says MSU’s College of Engineering has five current priorities – energy, health, materials, sustainability, and security.

He discusses the challenges and opportunities facing the college and the entire field of engineering. And he talks about how today’s engineers are taught differently than they were in the past and about the new skill set employers are seeking in today’s engineering graduates.

He adds that engineering will continue to evolve and be even more ubiquitous in our daily lives.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Conversation 18:06 – 10.4 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: MSU’s Office of Biobased Technologies named Bryan K. Ritchie associate director for external strategies on Oct. 1. Ritchie is associate professor of international relations and co-director of the Michigan Center for Innovation and Economic Prosperity in the James Madison College at MSU.

Ritchie talks about his role in expediting the commercialization process for intellectual property, and he gives his plan for connecting researchers with business and government leaders. He discusses the potential of the bioeconomy to reshape our economy, and he tells us exaclty what it takes for technology to thrive in the private sector.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Conversation 13:12 – 7.6 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Ken Keegstra is MSU University Distinguished Professor of plant biology, biochemistry and molecular biology. And he’s the executive director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, one of three major new U.S. Department of Energy research centers funded with $125 million over five years. MSU will use approximately $50 million for basic science research aimed at solving some of the most complex problems in converting natural elements to energy.

Keegstra talks about the role he and his MSU colleagues will play in this exciting new venture. He tells us how energy is derived from plants and gives his views on the food versus fuel debate.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Show 16:51 – 9.6 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Steve Pueppke is the director of MSU’s Office of Biobased Technologies.

Renewable energy for American industry is at the root of a major Midwest research center funded by the largest federal grant exclusively for research endeavors in MSU’s history. MSU will partner with the University of Wisconsin-Madison in establishing the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. MSU will use approximately $50 million in U.S. Department of Energy funding for basic science research aimed at solving some of the most complex problems in converting natural elements to energy.

Pueppke discusses the projects MSU will work on in this new venture. He talks about what the bioeconomy is and why it’s important to Michigan’s future. He tells us why MSU is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the bioeconomy, and he tells us more about MSU’s Office of Biobased Technologies.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Show 11:48 – 6.8 mb mp3

Hear the audio from the June 26, 2007 MSU press conference announcing the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center featuring MSU President Lou Anna Simon, MSU Professor and GLBRC Executive Director Ken Keegstra, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, and Director of MSU’s Office of Biobased Technologies Steve Pueppke.

Hear the press conference 21:22 – 12.2 mb mp3

From MSU Today: It’s not your father’s college of agriculture, says MSU’s Eunice Foster. The modern version of MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is “more than you imagined,” she says.

The college is home to 23 undergraduate majors in 13 departments, with graduate programs leading to masters and doctoral degrees in every department. The college also offers two-year certificate programs through the Institute of Agricultural Technology.

Foster leads that institute and is the associate dean for undergraduate students and programs in the college. She says the college offers a wide variety of programs that allow its students to pursue numerous careers. The college certainly has disciplines that focus on production agriculture, but far more of its students graduate with degrees in packaging, construction management and other areas that aren’t traditionally thought to be agricultural careers.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Show 11 Minutes 6 mb mp3

From MSU Today: Matt Roush launched the Great Lakes IT Report in 2001. GLITR is the bible for tech news in Michigan and the Great Lakes region. It’s a daily IT newsletter delivered via email first thing every business morning to approximately 30,000 readers. As Technology Editor of GLITR, Roush covers the tech world broadly, from hardware, software, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and tech education.

We caught up at Grand Hotel, site of the annual Mackinac Policy Conference.

Matt – the guru of technology news in Michigan – talks about starting the tech beat while at Crain’s Detroit Business in 1994. He discusses the state of – and future of – journalism and tells us what “tech” really means.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Show 13 Minutes 7mb mp3

From MSU Today: Bruce Dale is a professor of chemical engineering at MSU where he leads the Biomass Conversion Research Laboratory.

The mission of the lab is to develop cost effective and environmentally attractive means of generating fuels, chemicals, materials, foods and feeds from renewable plant biomass. The lab’s researchers seek to shift the raw material basis of modern society away from excessive dependence on fossil resources, particularly petroleum, and toward biomass.

Professor Dale’s research and professional interests lie at the intersection of chemical engineering and the life sciences. Specifically, he is interested in the environmentally sustainable conversion of plant matter to industrial products- fuels, chemicals and materials- while meeting human and animal needs for food and feed.

As legislatures around the country debate whether to expand the use of ethanol, old arguments against the fuel are resurfacing. One of the most contentious is this: it takes more energy to make the fuel than it produces.

Dale claims ethanol yields more energy than it takes to make it. He says the debate over how much energy it takes to make ethanol has obscured its main benefit: it makes corn into a more useful fuel, much like transforming coal into electricity.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Show 16 Minutes 9mb mp3

Dr. Steven Peuppke returns to the Spartan Podcast for an in depth discussion about Michigan State University’s Office of Bio-based Technologies. We trace Steve’s student career at MSU, ponder the trade offs of a renewable fuel world and take an in depth look at how this new MSU initiative will positively impact the Michigan economy and the world.

Hosted by Bill Castanier and Scott Westerman

Hear the Show 17 Minutes 8mb mp3

From MSU Today: The next step in Michigan State University’s commitment to leading the development of a bio-based economy across the state is the establishment of its Office of Bio-based Technologies. Steven G. Pueppke, assistant vice president for research and graduate studies and professor of plant pathology, will serve as the first director.

The new office will marshal MSU research and resources to help foster connections with public and private sector initiatives designed to expand Michigan’s bioeconomic sector.

Pueppke, also director of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, is an MSU alumnus who joined the university Jan. 1.

Hosted by Russ White

Hear the Show 9 Minutes 5mb mp3

We go to the front lines of the biofuel movement with Andrew Couch, the founder and president of Deep Fried Rides. It’s a company that converts conventional diesel cars and trucks to run on vegetable oil using Justin Carven’s Grease Car kit. But Andrew’s interest in biotech goes well beyond grease cars. He’s the West Tennessee coordinator for the Clean Cities initiative and spends a lot of time on the road promoting biodiesel and ethanol. He talks about the pros and cons or renewables and the growing popularity of biofuels .

Hosted by Scott Westerman.

Hear the Show 23 Minutes 11mb mp3