UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A conference on bioenergy, sponsored by Penn State, will collect some of the best minds involved in the development of “green energy” here Sept. 4-5.

Dubbed “CrossOver 2007: Bioenergy: From Fields to Wheels,” the event at the HUB Robeson Center will feature researchers from Penn State and other universities, key government officials and industry partners involved in developing sustainable, renewable alternate energy sources, supplies and programs.

Keynote speakers for the conference will be Kathleen McGinty, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Tom Foust, biomass program director, U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory; George Church, director, Harvard/MIT Genomes to Life Center; Richard Hess, biomass program technology manager, U.S. Department of Energy, Idaho National Laboratory; and Steve Gray, vice-president for global technology, General Electric Transportation Systems.

“The need for integrated research is particularly important in the bioenergy field, where there are a near infinite variety of diverse feedstocks and process combinations, and many opportunities to increase efficiency and enhance product value,” says Tom Richard, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, director of the Penn State Biomass Energy Center, and coordinator of the Crossover 2007 conference. “At Penn State, we are advancing such integrated bioenergy research in a framework we call “Fields to Wheels.”

Topics to be addressed related to bioenergy at the conference include plant production, plant transformation, materials harvest and transport, fermentation and bioreactor design, separations technologies, combustion and gasification, chemical catalysis, byproduct recovery and utilization, advanced power generation and engine and vehicle testing.

“Wrapped around these technologies are the social, economic, and ethical frameworks needed for bioenergy programs to achieve their potential, including planning and business and legal concerns,” says Richard. “Penn State is fortunate to have faculty working in all these areas, many of whom are deeply engaged in relevant interdisciplinary research.”

As part of the conference, Penn State tractors that have been running on biodiesel fuel will be on display on the HUB lawn and an interactive poster session on bioenergy will be presented.

To learn more about the “CrossOver 2007: Bioenergy: From Fields to Wheels” program, visit the Web at http://www.bioenergy.psu.edu/crossover2007 or contact Tom Richard at (814) 865-3722 or by e-mail attlr20@psu.edu. For more information about registration, parking, accommodations, etc., contact Melissa Maurer at (814) 863- 7025 or by e-mail at mll198@psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Tom Richard at 814-865-3722 or by e-mail attlr20@psu.edu.

Jeff Mulhollem Writer/editor 814-863-2719 jjm29@psu.edu