http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/comments The latest comments on all articles published by Biotechnology for Biofuels 2011-01-10T16:07:27Z http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/3/1/13/comments#456685 <p>As I read with fascination the work being done to produce bioengineered strains of S.cerevisiae that can breakdown the sugars in plant waste, the following idea suddenly occurred to me: <br/>The Marshall Islands, where I am living and working, is one of many small island nations in the central Pacific in desperate need of a self-sustaining economy, if not a market economy, for it's 50K plus citizens. It relies entirely on imported fuel to run the diesel-powered electric generators and its (too) many cars. Could a yeast strain be evolutionarily engineered to produce ethanol from the left-over plant material after coconut oil (which is exported from the RMI) is extracted so as to at least reduce if not eventually stop the importation of petroleum and convert to the sole use of ethanol, much like Brazil? <br/> <br/>If anyone reading this is interested in helping this country, through either providing me with the necessary training to begin collaboratively working on such a project or doing it themselves, I would be happy to communicate with you. My Master's committee chair was an environmental microbiologist and I developed an affinity for the potential of microbes to assist man in his quest to improve the world in which he lives. As part of a course in Applied Microbiology, I researched the process of making soy sauce. However, I envision a much greater need for this technology-to assist this nation to stand up and be counted as a nation committed to reducing its own global footprint by eventually eliminating the need for imported fuel! It may be just a pipe dream but, pipe dreams can become reality if even one person is willing to do something! <br/> <br/>Please contact me if this type of project is worthy of consideration. I am not suggesting this as a way to gain notoriety or recognition for myself; my only desire is to help facilitate the process, if I can.</p> Gary Patterson 2011-01-10T16:07:27Z http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/3/1/13 Garcia Sanchez et al. Biotechnology for Biofuels 3 13 Tue Jun 15 09:37:35 BST 2010 http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/2/1/23/comments#371644 <p>Dear Ed, <br/> <br/>Thanks so much for writing your most gracious memoire of Mary Mandels. <br/> <br/>Even though I was not in the cellulase field when she was still scientifically active, I knew and very much liked both her and Elwyn Reese. Mary's comment once about Elwyn was that he retired on a Friday and was back in the lab on Monday, now unpaid, but still bossing all of them around. Luckily Mary was less modest than Elwyn. There was an award that they jointly won, I forget which one, where Mary was contacted by the conference organizers with the instructions to make sure that she brought Elwyn to the conference so that they could both accept the award. He had no idea what was about to happen and would not have attended had he known. <br/> <br/>I hadn't seen Mary since she retired and stopped attending meetings, but my memories of her and of Elwyn are still fresh and wonderful. <br/> <br/>I can fill you in on Elwyn. As you've seen from his pictures, he was physically very fit, even into his 70s. He had climbed every mountain over 3,000 feet in New Hampshire. And then he suddenly died! <br/> <br/>In December 1977 I was in Tallinn, Estonia and in Moscow with Elwyn and about ten others on a US/USSR scientific cooperation visit (they disappeared after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan). Elwyn was wearing a tie with elephants on it, and I was able to tell an Estonian translator about Massachusetts&#8217;s politics, that maybe Elwyn was the only Republican in the whole state. <br/> <br/>Elwyn used to read my papers even though they weren't on cellulases. Some time after they came out, I would receive notes from him in very small handwriting telling me how I could have made them better. <br/> <br/>Pete <br/> <br/>Prof. Peter J. Reilly <br/>Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering <br/>2031 Sweeney Hall <br/>Iowa State University <br/>Ames, IA 50011-2230 <br/></p> Peter Reilly 2009-10-08T19:23:22Z http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/2/1/23 Bayer Biotechnology for Biofuels 2 23 Tue Sep 01 09:00:14 BST 2009