Earth Day Television and Online Special Features University of Arkansas Students

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Back row: Kylan Rakestraw, Jamie Hestekin, Ethan Carter, Elizabeth Bevan, Jianjun Du, Tom Potts, and Roy Penney. Front row: Bob Beitle, Jill Ivey, Megan Huslig, Jeremy Stout, Hiroko Nakao and Michelle Shepherd

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – On April 9, a PBS Planet Forward special will feature a team of chemical engineering and Honors College students from the University of Arkansas. Their research project, a device that can convert algae into fuel, will be discussed and evaluated by a panel of experts. Four other projects will also be covered in the Earth Day program.

Viewers in Arkansas can watch the show online at planetforward.com starting the morning of April 9. The show will also air on AETN at 1:30 a.m. on April 9.

At the end of the show, the studio audience will vote for their favorite project, and viewers can vote online. Online voting will be open for several weeks after the show airs. Based on the vote counts, Planet Forward will choose two winners and follow those projects for a year, documenting their progress on its website and in future television shows.

The University of Arkansas project focuses on using algae to produce biofuels such as butanol. Algae, which grow quickly in streams and ponds, can be used to remove pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus from the water and then be harvested to make clean-burning biofuel. In addition, the leftover plant material can be used as fertilizer.

Fifteen students are taking part in this project, including undergraduates Elizabeth Bevan, Ethan Carter, Danielle Frechette, Megan Huslig, Jill Ivey, Alex Lopez, Ali McAtee, Kelly Meek, Hiroko Nakao, Kylan Rakestraw, Lizbeth Rostro, Michelle Shepherd and Jeremy Stout. Two doctoral students, Jianjun Du and Tom Potts, are also involved. Eight of the undergraduate students will be incorporating the project into their honors theses, and Kelly Meek and Ali McAtee have received a grant from the Honors College to support their work with this project.