May 30, 2024 BSE Major Poster Session and Lab Tours

As part of a separate annual meeting event, we are opening up the afternoon Bioresource Science and Engineering (BSE) Senior Capstone Poster Session and Lab Tours to all curious and potential BSE majors and all academic advisors, particularly those who advise pre-major students.  Please come learn about the coolest environmental-based and very student-accessible engineering major that no one knows about!

When:  Thursday May 30th, 1:15pm-2:45pm (poster session); lab tours 2pm-4pm

Where: Anderson Hall Room 207, AKA The Forest Club Room.  On May 30th the building’s front door will be open, and you can also access the building through the back doors with your UW ID card.   Meet in the Forest Club room for the poster session and the start of tours.

[Building details:  The front door to Anderson Hall has been locked as most of the building is vacant due to the impending Anderson Hall remodel but will be open for this event.  Unfortunately, Anderson Hall is not a wheelchair-accessible building presently, but will be after the remodel.]

About BSE Students and Graduates

Students who graduate in BSE are trained to apply their scientific know-how, process engineering expertise, and knowledge of sustainability fundamentals to manufacturing environmentally friendly products and designing low impact, but economically viable, processes. Students in the major are also challenged to address social and cultural impacts of their engineering solutions so that any proposed bio-based product or process is truly sustainable.

BSE students have had substantial success in the UW Buerk Center’s Environmental Innovation Challenge event, including winning the $15,000 grand prize at the recent 2024 event for AgroFilms.  AgroFilms was also the subject of this year’s BSE Senior Capstone project and will be featured at this poster session.  Other past prize winners, including a prior grand prize winner (see here and here for details about this grand prize win), are detailed at this link, and this link.  More details about the BSE major are available on our web site.

About AgroFilms – the subject of the Poster Session (begins ~1:15pm in Anderson 207 – Forest Club Room)

AgroFilms aims to manufacture biodegradable mulch films for use on commercial farms. Using material science innovations coupled with unique process engineering, we have developed bio-based films that are fully biodegradable. These films, made from agricultural residues, deliver performance and affordability, thereby enabling a truly circular economy. Our primary market will be farmers who currently use mulch films. Our product will make a significant contribution to reducing ocean plastics and bringing the world one step closer to replacing petroleum-based products with sustainable bio-based alternatives.

About the BSE Lab Tours 2pm-4pm (meet in Anderson 207, Forest Club Room)

BSE students will also be giving tours of the BSE labs both during and after the Capstone Poster Session.  Interested tour participants will be able to see pilot size paper and molded fiber machines, how products made from biomass can be tested for strength and optical properties, and some of the latest research done by our department.  Other tour participants will include many BSE alumni (who are here for the annual meeting event) who, if you are interested in networking, can be engaged in conversation.

How to Learn More

Sandra Maddox, SEFS Undergraduate Advisor, will be at this event and hanging out in the Forest Club Room (Anderson 207) from 1:15pm-4pm – look for her (she’ll have a name tag on).  However, if you cannot attend the event or miss me and you want to learn more about BSE, PLEASE reach out to her at sbmaddox@uw.edu and let me know what you are curious about.