STARKVILLE, Miss.--Three Mississippi State graduate students are top winners in the visual display category of the eighth annual Southern BioProducts and Renewable Energy Conference.
Ambarish Acharya received first place for his research on supply chain designs for cellulosic ethanol in Mississippi. A doctoral student in industrial and systems engineering, his research is directed by Sandra Eksioglu, an assistant professor in the Bagley College of Engineering.
Forest products doctoral student Sanjeev Gajjela received second place for his research on upgrading bio-oil to bio-fuels. His research is under the direction of professor Philip Steele.
Priyanka Bhattacharya, who is working toward a master's degree in forest products, placed third with her research on the reactions of methanol and other alcohols with hydroxyacetaldehyde in bio-oil. Her work is directed by professor Leonard Ingram, who, like Steele, is a member of the College of Forest Resources faculty.
All natives of India, the three MSU students were among 12 state collegiate participants in the recent challenge sponsored by the Mississippi Biomass and Renewable Energy Council.
With a 2009 focus on stimulating Mississippi's economy through renewable energy, the Jackson conference examined ways to develop and expand home-grown biomass resources and renewable energy technologies.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.
