It was just about a year ago, on Aug. 23, 2008, that James Baker recorded an idea in his journal for an improved method of converting organic material into usable energy. Known as biomass gasification, the process reduces sources such as grass or wood to produce synthetic gas similar to natural gas or propane. These fuels can be used in a variety of applications, from automobiles to heating furnaces.

The ultimate goal for the student from Rossford is to make a different type of hybrid/dual fuel processor small enough to fit in the trunk of an automobile. The gasifier would convert cellulose derived from biomass into a clean, burnable gas that could supplement the gasoline used in the vehicle’s engine.

WBGU-PBS is one of 26 public television stations across the country to receive national recognition for community engagement efforts.

The research of two BGSU biologists into Phytophthora infestans, the dangerous water mold that was responsible for the Irish potato famine, will be included in the Sept. 9 issue of Nature.

On Sept. 3, the University embarked on what President Carol Cartwright called “one of the most significant building and remodeling programs in our history.”

The Festival Series opens Sunday (Sept. 13) with the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra.

An intriguing new theory about the explosive rise of animals some 530 million years ago will be discussed next week by paleobiologist Dr. Kevin J. Peterson, BGSU’s 2009 Harold McMaster Endowed Visiting Scientist.