SouthEast Energy Development (SEED) Fellowship Recipients Selected

(Southeast Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems) As a part of the Southeast Partnership for Integrated Biomass Supply Systems (IBSS) project goals centered on education and job training, the Southeast Energy Development (SEED) Fellowship has selected five new fellows to participate in the SEED Fellowship program designed to create a capable, effective and safe industry workforce for biomass production, harvesting, and biofuels processing in the Southeast.

The five newly selected 2015 SEED Fellows will work in multidisciplinary teams tasked with real-world problems and solutions covering diverse topics like research or field deployment challenges in feedstock production, feedstock logistics, conversion, and markets & distribution of biofuels. The 2015 cohort will commit to a 10-weeks program from May 25th to July 31st with training opportunities at cutting edge biomass research facilities in the Southeast.

Two SEED fellows will be working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN, other two will be working at Genera Energy, Vonore, TN and the fifth fellow will work at ForestConcepts in Auburn, Washington. SEED Fellows receive a stipend of $5000 and $1500 for housing and meals during the summer. At the end of the 10-week program, the fellows will present their research at the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ASABE) annual meeting to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Eric D. Vogt is junior in Biosystems Engineering from Auburn University. Eric will be working under the supervision of Dr. Erin Webb at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

Emma Tobin is sophomore in Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Emma will be working under the supervision of Dr. Virginia Dale and Dr. Erin Webb at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Emma is a recipient of The University of Tennessee Chancellor’s Honors Program and Volunteer Scholarship.

Gage A. Brazzell is a junior in Chemical Engineering from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Gage will be working under the direction of Dr. Sam Jackson at Genera Energy in Vonore, Tennessee.

Benjamin (Ben) King is junior in Biosystems Engineering from Auburn University. Ben will be working under the supervision of Mr. Dave Lanning at ForestConcepts, Auburn, WA.

Brandon Johnson is a junior in Sustainable Materials and Technology from North Carolina State University. He is an executive board member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. Brandon will be working under the direction of Dr. Sam Jackson at Genera Energy in Vonore, Tennessee. READ MORE