News
2024
Camila Valderrama received first place for her poster presentation at NABEC
July 16, 2024 MS student Camila Valderrama was awarded first place in the student poster competition during the 2024 Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC), held in State College, PA. Congratulations, Camila!
Elmin Rahic joined the lab as a postdoctoral scholar co-advised by Dr. Costello and Dr. Vasco
June 17, 2024 Dr. Elmin Rahic, a recent PhD graduate from Iowa State, has joined the labs of Dr. Chris Costello and Dr. Juliana Vasco, to work on modeling sustainable grass-to-gas systems. Welcome, Elmin!
Bioeco Lab team attended the annual meeting of the Consortium for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises
June 5, 2024 Bioeco Lab members, Camila Valderrama, Hunter Porcano, and Juliana Vasco attended the annual meeting of the Consortium for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises (C-CHANGE) project, held in Syracuse, NY, June 3-5. They came back energized to continue working on the assessment of grass-to-gas technologies in the context of sustainable bioeconomies.
New collaborative review paper published on fungal biomaterials
May 19, 2024 Dr. Vasco co-authored a new review paper with researchers from Sri Lanka on recent advances in fungal biomaterials.
Dr. Yajie Wu becomes the first PhD graduate from the Bioeco Lab with a dual-title in Biorenewable Systems and Operations Research
May 5, 2024 Yajie Wu received a dual-title PhD in Biorenewable Systems and Operations Research in a ceremony held at the Pegula Ice Arena. Yajie’s research focused on superstructure process optimization of lignin valorization.
Emily Rademacher graduated with a MS in Biorenewable Systems
May 5, 2024 Emily Rademacher graduated with a Master of Science in Biorenewable Systems at the Bryce Jordan Center. Emily has a BS in the same field and her thesis research focused on the technical and economic analysis of hop pelleting in Pennsylvania.
Vancie and Hunter graduated with honors
May 3, 2024 Vancie Peacock and Hunter Porcano received their B.S. degrees in biological engineering, as well as their medals of honor from the Schreyer Honor School for completing their honor’s program. We are so proud of your hard work during these four years, congratulations!
Vancie Peacock received the Outstanding Senior Award
May 2, 2024 Vancie Peacock received the Oustanding Senior Award from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
Hunter Porcano received the Karl Snyder Award
May 2, 2024 Hunter received the Karl Snyder Award from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering for her service as president of the Penn State student chapter of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
Daniel Patton received the 2024 College of Natural Resources and Environment Recent Alumnus Award
Apr 26, 2024 D.Eng student Daniel Patton received the 2024 College of Natural Resources and Environment Recent Alumnus Award from his MS institution, Virginia Tech.
New paper published in systems analysis of lignin valorization
Apr 23, 2024 A new paper from the Bioeco Lab on superstructure optimization of lignin valorization biorefineries has been published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. This paper was authored by recent PhD graduate Dr. Yajie Wu, and came as a product of collaboration with our colleague from University of Florida, Juan Manuel Restrepo-Florez.
Camila and Hunter presented posters at the Biorenewables Symposium
Apr 19, 2024 Lab members Camila Gonzalez and Hunter Porcano presented research posters at the 2024 Penn State Biorenewables Symposium.
Vancie received the Student Sustainability Advisory Council Tree Award
Apr 19, 2024 The 2024 Student Sustainability Advisory Council Tree Award celebrates Vancie Peacock for her exceptional sustainability leadership at University Park, particularly through initiatives like the Schreyer Pocket Garden, which has markedly increased food security. A tree was planted in her honor as a lasting symbol of her commitment.
Bioeco Lab Schreyer Honor theses approved
Apr 18, 2024 The theses of Biological Engineering students Hunter Porcano and Vancie Peacock were approved by the Schreyer Honors College. Hunter and Vancie developed techno-economic analysis and life-cycle assessment models to evaluate technologies to improve the sustainability of dairy farms in Pennsylvania. They celebrated the thesis acceptance by hitting the gong! Congratulations Hunter and Vancie on your hard work.
Vancie presented her research at the Undergraduate Exhibition
Apr 17, 2024 Vancie Peacock presented her research at the 2024 Penn State Undergraduate Exhibition.
Vancie Peacock awarded Stand Up Award for Undergraduate Ethical Leadership
Apr 16, 2024 Vancie Peacock was awarded the Stand Up Award for Undergraduate Ethical Leadership from the Penn State Rock Ethics Institute for her work on sustainable agriculture and food security on campus. She was honored at a ceremony in Robb Hall of the Hintz Family Alumni Center.
Vancie Peacock awarded NSF GRFP
Apr 6, 2024 Vancie Peacock has been awarded the National Science Fundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Vancie will attend Duke University to pursue a PhD in Environmental Engineering.
Juliana Vasco visited NMSU as a guest seminar speaker
Apr 6, 2024 Dr. Vasco presented a talk on Bioeconomy Solutions at the Chemical Engineering Department Seminar of the New Mexico State University, in Las Cruces, NM.
Vancie Peacock received first place award at the Gamma Sigma Delta Research Expo poster competition
Apr 3, 2024 Biological Engineering student Vancie Peacock received the first place award for her poster presentation in the Environmental Systems division at the 2024 Gamma Sigma Delta research expo. Congratulations, Vancie!
Bioeco Lab researchers shared their work at the Gamma Sigma Delta Research Expo
Mar 27, 2024 Bioeco Lab researchers and Biological Engineering students Vancie Peacock, Hunter Porcano, and Tate Geiger presented their research project at the 2024 Gamma Sigma Delta research expo.
Vasco-Correa invited to attend and present at NASEM symposium
Mar 1, 2024 Dr. Vasco was invited to attend the First Connections to Sustain Science in Latin America Symposium sponsored by the National Academy of Science (NASEM) in Barranquilla, Colombia. In this symposium, she shared the broad spectrum of the Bioeco Lab research and established new connections for future collaborations.
Juliana Vasco was interviewed in the "Growing Impact" podcast about a new project on evaluation of PFAS removing technologies
Mar 1, 2024 The Institutes for Energy and the Environment podcast, Growing Impact, interviewed a team of scientists, including Dr. Vasco, about a project that evaluates low-cost technologies to remove PFAS at home. Dr. Vasco has led a techno-economic analysis that evaluates the economic feasibility of these technologies to treat water in households that depend on well water. The project is led by Dr. Heather Preisendanz.
New collaboration paper in biogas production published
Feb 24, 2024 A new paper in collaboration with researchers from Universidad del Tolima in Colombia has been published in Acta Technologica Agriculturae. The paper studies the use of cacao pud husks for bioenergy production through anaerobic digestion. The first author of the paper, Dr. Licelander Hennessey-Ramos, is a recent PhD graduate co-advised by Dr. Vasco, and this paper is the last product of his doctoral dissertation.
Yajie Wu passed her PhD dissertation defense
Feb 21, 2024 Yajie Wu unanimously passed her Ph.D. dissertation defense and will become the first Ph.D. to graduate from the Bioeco Lab. Yajie will obtain a dual-title in Biorenewable Systems and Operations Research. Yajie’s dissertation is entitled “Lignin Valorization In Lignocellulosic Biorefineries Through Biological Upgrading: A Superstructure-Based Optimization Approach For Economic And Environmental Evaluation”. Congratulations Yajie, we are so proud of your accomplishments!
Emily Rademacher passed her MS thesis defense
Jan 31, 2024 Emily Rademacher unanimously passed her M.S. thesis defense to obtain the title of Master of Science in Biorenewable Systems. Emily’s thesis is entitled “Enhancing pellet quality and return on investment for small hop enterprises in Pennsylvania”. Congratulations Emily!
New MS students joined the Bioeco Lab
Jan 8, 2024 Camila Valderrama and Johannes Ali will be starting MS degrees this spring semester. Camila will work on techno-economic analysis of anaerobic digestion as part of the Grass-to-Gas project, and Johannes will join the team of the project in methane biofiltration. Welcome to the Bioeco Lab!
2023
Camila received the College of Ag Graduate Student Grant
Dec 21, 2023 PhD Candidate Camila Gonzalez Arango received an award from the CAS Graduate Student Competitive Grants Program to continue her research on methane biofiltration systems. Congratulations!
New preprint in superstructure optimization of lignin valorization posted
Dec 13, 2023 A new preprint entitled “A Superstructure-Based Lignin Valorization Process Optimization Model for Lignocellulosic Biorefineries through Biological Upgrading” has been posted in ChemRxiv. This work was led by PhD Candidate Yajie Wu.
Yajie Wu presented at the ABE seminar
Dec 4, 2023 BRS PhD Candidate Yajie Wu presented her dissertation work on lignin valorization superstructures at the ABE departmental seminar.
Camila Gonzalez passed her comprehensive exam. Congratulations!!
Dec 4, 2023 ABE PhD Candidate Camila Gonzalez Arango passed her comprehensive exam. Congratulations!
Vancie Peacock selected as Marshall Scholarship finalist
Nov 8, 2023 Biological Engineering senior and Bioeco Lab member Vancie Peacock has been named a finalist of the prestigious Marshall Scholarship for graduate studies in the UK. Congratulations!
Emily Rademacher presented at the ABE seminar
Nov 6, 2023 BRS MS student Emily Rademacher presented her thesis work on hop pelleting at the ABE departmental seminar.
Camila Gonzalez was awarded the Harold V. and Velma B. Walton Doctoral Student Endowment Award
Sep 29, 2023 PhD Candidate Camila Gonzalez Arango received the Harold V. and Velma B. Walton Doctoral Student Endowment Award from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, in recognition of her extraordinary achievements. Congratulations!
Tykeesha Jefferson graduated with a MS in Biorenewable Systems
Aug 12, 2023 Tykeesha Jefferson graduated in the summer ceremony with a Master of Science in Biorenewable Systems. Tykeesha is the first graduate student from the Bioeco Lab to finalize her studies and we could not be prouder. Congratulations, Ty!
Members of the Bioeco Lab attended NABEC in Guelph, ON
Aug 2, 2023 Camila Gonzalez Arango, Tykeesha Jefferson, Emily Rademacher, and Vancie Peacock presented their research at the 2023 Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC).
Camila to attend EMSL Summer School
Jul 20, 2023 ABE PhD candidate Camila Gonzalez Arango was selected through a competitive process as one of 25 attendees to the 2023 Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) Summer School, on “Demistifying Multiomics with Data Science.”
Members of the Bioeco Lab won second place in the ASABE Bioprocess Startup Competition
Jul 12, 2023 A group formed by BE students Vancie Peacock and Hunter Porcano and ABE PhD candidate Camila Gonzalez Arango received the second place award in the Bioprocess Startup Competition during ASABE AIM in Omaha, NE, with their project “Friendly Filters.”
The Bioeco Lab participated in 2023 ASABE AIM
Jul 12, 2023 Members of the Vasco Bioeco Lab participated and presented at the 2023 ASABE Annual International Meeting and the associated Circular Bioeconomy Systems Day in Omaha, NE. Presentations included oral invited and contributed talks, and poster presentations.
Review paper in microbial pretreatment for grasses was published in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Jul 6, 2023 The review article entitled “Advances in microbial pretreatment for biorefining of perennial grasses“, authored by Dr. Juliana Vasco-Correa in conjunction with collaborators in the Colombian Society of Physics Engineering and the Colombian Marine and Coastal Research Institute was published in the journal Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.
Shakthi Suresh M.S. thesis was approved by his committee
Jun 30, 2023 Engineering Design M.S. student Shakthi Suresh, co-advised with Dr. Mariantonieta Gutierrez Soto, obtained unanimous approval of his thesis entitled “User-centered design and construction of a modular biofilter system for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions”. Congratulations!
Tykeesha Jefferson passed her MS thesis defense
Jun 21, 2023 Tykeesha Jefferson unanimously passed her M.S. thesis defense to obtain the title of Master of Science in Biorenewable Systems. Tykeesha’s thesis is entitled “Modeling the Hop Pelleting Production Process for Small Scale PA Growers”. Congratulations Ty!
Camila Gonzalez gave an invited talk at ASM Microbe in engineering systems for methane mitigation
Jun 16, 2023 PhD candidate Camila Gonzalez Arango gave an invited talk on the Microbial Technologies to Mitigate Methane Emissions session of the Climate Change track of the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, ASM Microbiome, held in Houston, TX.
Camila Gonzalez received the Educational Equity Graduate Scholarship
Jun 13, 2023 PhD candidate Camila Gonzalez Arango was awarded the 2023 Barbara Howell Raphael Educational Equity Graduate Scholarship from the College of Agricultural Sciences. Congratulations!
Kimeal Parham joined the Bioeco Lab through NSURP for summer research in methane biofiltration
Jun 12, 2023 Kimeal Parham, a genetic engineering undergraduate student from Cedar Crest College, joined the Vasco Bioeco Lab through the National Summer Undergraduate Program (NSURP) to work on the biology and economics of methane biofiltration. Welcome, Kimeal!
Clara McCahren joined the Bioeco Lab to work on technoeconomic analysis of anaerobic digestion
May 15, 2023 Recent BioReneawable System graduate Clara McCahren joined the Vasco Bioeco Lab to work as a summer scholar in the Gas-to-Grass project to perform technoeconomic analysis of renewable natural gas production from herbaceous biomass. Welcome, Clara!
Vancie Peacock named 2023 Udall Scholar
May 1, 2023 Biological Engineering student Vancie Peacock received the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship.
Vancie Peacock received first place at the Undergraduate Research Exhibition
Apr 28, 2023 Biological Engineering student Vancie Peacock received the first place award in the Engineering category at the 2023 Penn State Undergraduate Research Exhibition.
Vancie Peacock was awarded the College of Agricultural Sciences Undergraduate Research Award
Apr 25, 2023 Biological Engineering student Vancie Peacock received the CoA 2023 Summer research award to fund her summer research on methane biofiltration.
Camila Gonzalez won first place poster award at Biorenewables Symposium
Apr 21, 2023 PhD Candidate Camila Gonzalez Arango was awarded the first place for her poster presentation at the 2023 annual Biorenewable Symposium organized by the Center for Biorenewables at Penn State.
Dr. Vasco presented at the 2023 IBE conference
Apr 15, 2023 Dr. Vasco presented about methane biofiltration and the future of bioprocessing for the bioeconomy at the 2023 Annual Conference of the Institute of Biological Engineering (IBE) in Ames, Iowa. She also chaired the bioprocessing section.
Vancie Peacock presented a poster presentations at the Undergraduate Exhibition
Yajie Wu presented her research at College of Engineering Research Symposium
Apr 12, 2023 PhD candidate Yajie Wu presented her research in superstructure optimization of lignin valorization routes at the 2023 College of Engineering Research Symposium.
Yajie Wu and Tykeesha Jefferson received awards for their poster presentations at the Graduate Exhibition
Apr 11, 2023 PhD candidate Yajie Wu and master student Tykeesha Jefferson both received third-place awards in the engineering category for their poster presentations at the 2023 Graduate Exhibition. Congratulations!
Vancie Peacock and Tykeesha Jefferson received awards for their poster presentations at the Gamma Sigma Delta Research Exhibition
Camila Gonzalez Arango received the 2023 Frisbey International Graduate Student Leadership Award
Bioeco Lab students presented their research at the Gamma Sigma Delta Research Symposium
Mar 30, 2023 Yajie Wu, Tykeesha Jefferson, and Vancie Peacock presented their research results at the Gamma Sigma Delta Research Symposium.
Tykeesha Jefferson presented her research at the ABE seminar
Yajie Wu and Tykeesha Jefferson presented their research at the Penn State Graduate Exhibition
Vancie Peacock has received the Erickson Discovery Grant
Mar 15, 2023 Biological Engineering student Vancie Peacock has received the Erickson Discovery Grant to start her honor’s thesis research during the summer.
Camila Gonzalez Arango has been awarded the Frisbey Graduate Student Leadership Award
2022
Yajie Wu has passed her comprehensive exam. Congratulations!!
Dr. Vasco gave a talk about economics of anaerobic digestion at a workshop hosted by Purdue University
Nov 17, 2022 Dr. Vasco gave a talk about the economics of agricultural anaerobic digesters in the Manure Management and Utilization Technologies Extension Workshop hosted by Purdue University.
Dr. Vasco co-chaired a breakout session on Materials Day
Oct 21, 2022 Dr. Vasco spoke about the potential for “recarbonization” in material research during the breaout session “Materials and Processes Challenges and Opportunities in the Transformation of Carbon and Hydrogen Economies” on Materials Day .
Dr. Vasco presented at the Millennium Cafe
Oct 11, 2022 Dr. Vasco introduced the lab research and the upcoming breakout session of Materials Day at the Millenium Cafe.
Camila Gonzalez passed her PhD qualifier exam. Congratulations Camila!
Sep 22, 2022 PhD student Camila Gonzalez Arango passed her qualifying examination. Thanks to her qualifying committee, Drs. Suat Irmak, Hojae Yi, and Tom Richard.
Tykeesha Jefferson was awarded second place in NABEC poster competition
Aug 2, 2022 Graduate student Tykeesha Jefferson recevied the second place in the gradaute student poster competition during the 2022 Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference (NABEC) in Edgewood, MD.
The Bioeco Lab student researchers shared their research during NABEC 2022
Aug 1, 2022 Graduate students Camila Gonzalez and Tykeesha Jefferson, and undergraduate researcher Vancie Peacock presented their research at the 2022 Northeast Agricultural and Biological Engineering Conference in Edgewood, MD.
The Bioeco Lab was present in Houston, TX to attend ASABE AIM 2022 and the S-1075 meeting
Jul 18, 2022 Graduate student Camila Gonzalez and Bioeco Lab PI Juliana Vasco-Correa attended and presented research during the 2022 Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and the multistate project meeting S-1075 – The Science and Engineering for a Biobased Industry and Economy.
The Bioeco Lab has been awarded a NIFA AFRI grant to study methane biofiltration
Jul 11, 2022 Dr. Vasco is the PI of a recently awarded $300,000 NIFA grant to study the causes of undesired nitrous oxide production in methane biolfilters. We expect that the results of this project will allow us to propose methods to regulate nitrous oxide formation in methane biofilters and will provide a strong foundation for future biofilter designs and specifications.
Emily Rademacher has joined the Bioeco Lab as a MS student
Dr. Vasco participated in panel during the Fungal Biomaterials Workshop
Camila Gonzalez wins third place in the poster competition of the Biorenewables Symposium
PhD students participated in the poster session of the Biorenewables Symposium
Apr 14, 2022 PhD students Camila Gonzalez Arango and Yajie Wu presented their research during the poster session of the Biorenewables Symposium hosted on campus and organized by the Center for Biorenewables.
Camila Gonzalez presented research progress in local student-run events
Camila Gonzalez Arango received the first place award at the Gamma Sigma Delta Research Expo
Mar 31, 2022 PhD student Camila Gonzalez received the first place award in the Physical and Engineering Systems division of the Gamma Sigma Delta Research Exposition organized by the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State. She presented her biofilm-based model for methane biofiltration.
Lab members Vancie Peacock and Camila Gonzalez and alumni Ryan Lopez presented posters at the Gamma Sigma Delta Research Expo
Mar 24, 2022 Undergradaute researchers Vancie Peacock and Ryan Lopez and PhD student Camila Gonzalez presented at the Gamma Sigma Delta Research Exposition organized by the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State. They presented experimental and modeling work on methane biofiltration.
The Bioeco Lab has received two grants to study the techno-economics of hops production and processing for small farmers in PA
Jan 15, 2022 Grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board were awarded with Dr. Vasco-Correa as Principal Inivestigator, to study the technical and economic implications of implementing hop pelletization in small farms in PA and to develop decision-making tools for PA farmers.
Dr. Vasco was interviewed in the "Growing Impact" podcast about the biofilters project
Jan 5, 2022 The Institutes for Energy and the Environment podcast, Growing Impact, interviewed Dr. Vasco about the lab research project on methane biofiltration.
Tykeesha Jefferson joined the Bioeco Lab as a MS student
Jan 3, 2022 Tykeesha Jefferson joined our lab as a new MS student. She will work on techno-economic analysis of small-scale agricultural systems. Welcome Tykeesha!
2021
Meghan O'Reilly graduated this semester with a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering
Dec 18, 2021 Congratulations to our lab member Meghan on her graduation!
Yajie Wu passed her PhD qualifier exam. Congratulations Yajie!
Dec 15, 2021 PhD student Yajie Wu passed her qualifier exam today and became a PhD Candidate.
Vancie Peacock to present in the 2021 Student Engagement Expo
Nov 7, 2021 Our undergraduate researcher Vancie Peacock will be presenting her summer 2021 research on November 10, 2021 at the Student Engagement Expo.
Dr. Vasco to lead a team in a USDA-funded educational grant
Oct 15, 2021 Dr. Vasco-Correa and a team of ABE professors have received a $150K grant from the USDA Higher Education Challenge (HEC) program to revitalize the Biorenewable Systems Program undergraduate program.
Yajie Wu to present in the 2021 ICDS Fall Symposium
Oct 6, 2021 PhD student Yajie Wu presented her research on superstructure analysis of lignin biorefineries last week in the Institute of Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) symposium.
Review paper published on the use of microbial consortia with white rot fungi to make products from biomass
Oct 1, 2021 We have published a review paper on Bioresource Technology Reports showing that the use of consortia with white rot fungi for biorefining can enhance the yield of products from biomass, likely due to antagonistic interactions between strains promoting enzyme expression. Read it here.
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New paper published on hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge
Aug 17, 2021 We have published a new collaborative paper on Bioresource Technology Reports where we explore the hydrothermal carbonization of anaerobically digested sewage sludge to make bioproducts from waste. Read it here.
Yajie Wu to present in ASABE AIM 2021
Jul 13, 2021 Yajie Wu will present this week in the American Society of Agricultural Engineers Annual Meeting, on her work about superstructure optimization of lignin valorization emerging technologies.
Bioeco Lab receives IEE seed grant to study methane biofiltration
Jun 22, 2021 We have received a seed grant from the PSU Institutes for Energy and the Environment for methane emissions mitigation and carbon capture with biofiltration. Read more here.
Vancie Peacock receives the Gerard A. Hauser Award at the PSU Undergraduate Exhibition
Jun 1, 2021 Vancie Peacock has been awarded the Gerard A. Hauser Award (the best overall!) in the 2021 Penn State Undergraduate Exhibition for her work on LCA of hydrothermal carbonization for dairy farms. Congratulations Vancie!!
Vancie Peacock receives award at the Gamma Sigma Delta research poster competition
Apr 12, 2021 Congratulations to our own Vancie Peacock for her second place in the Gamma Sigma Delta Undergraduate Research Poster competition! Vancie presented her work on life cycle assessment of engineered management solutions for anaerobic digestate in dairy farms.