It is quite the undertaking and, given Dr. Jackson’s track record in this arena, one that I’m sure will be met by the 2008 deadline. The Biotechnology Center promises to open new frontiers in medications, tissue generation, implants, and other fields of medicine. But my question is this: What about bio-power in the Biotech Center? Or, to put it another way, does RPI also intend to be a world leader in the pursuit of energy sources including those derived from what is generally referred to as bio-mass? Given the current state of the world’s energy production lately, I think this is an important question.

This weekend, I was replacing the mixing tank for the biodiesel production facility in my garage with a new, larger mixing tank that doubles output. You were doing what? I know, it’s OK, it throws most people the first time they hear something like this. To put it simply: my cars run on fuel that I make out of used vegetable oil and I do this quite simply and safely in my home’s garage. This fuel is called biodiesel. I have been making it and powering several vehicles with it for over four and a half years now.

The bottom line? Biodiesel burns in any unmodified diesel or jet engine, reduces engine wear, cuts harmful emissions from the tailpipe by anywhere from 90-100 percent, is entirely renewable, non-toxic, biodegradable, and costs only forty cents per gallon (yes, that’s $0.40). If you would like to see pictures of the new setup you can go to: http://www.rpi.edu/~morriw/mixer.htm. Please, feel free to click around, as there is a lot more detailed information on the subject there than in this column.

Last year, the Student Senate sponsored an informational seminar on biodiesel and we may do so again this year. The new Senate is also behind a plan to take our institution in the direction of clean, renewable bio-power. The plan is simple: used oil is collected from the food services on campus, it is then processed into fuel in a fashion similar to my garage setup, and finally the inexpensive, eco-friendly fuel is used in our diesel shuttle bus and heavy equipment including generators and tractors. The details are more involved, but only slightly. All that is left is to take action. Hopefully, we will soon be enjoying a cleaner campus with a reputation as a leader in energy and efficiency.

Oh, and did I mention the exhaust smells like french fries?