Growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and later in Tucson, Arizona, #NSRIFellow Dr. Nicole Buan experienced how dependent human beings are on clean soil, clean water and healthy crops and animals to survive. As a child, she observed firsthand how pollution harms coral reefs and the marine life people depend on for food. She watched the famous tropical beach, Hanauma Bay, once crystal-clear and filled with colorful fish that could be fed by hand, become so choked with pollution that the authorities had to strictly limit access to allow the bay and the wildlife to recover. Today, Hanauma Bay is once again a thriving shallow reef ecosystem, although feeding the animals is no longer permitted.
As a teenager in Tucson, she regularly hiked desert trails amongst the cactus, creosote and rattlesnakes and celebrated every monsoon season when intense thunderstorms drench the cracked, dusty soil, bringing precious rain that plants, animals and humans ration all year to be able to survive.
These experiences engrained her desire to develop environmentally friendly technologies as well as faith that humans can find sustainable ways to coexist with nature.
"It’s the same in Nebraska," Dr. Buan explained. "It’s just baked into growing up in these places — you understand how we have to steward the environment. If we want to continue as a species, we have to work to protect our natural resources. It’s a fundamental driving factor for me. We need our products to rest on a sustainable bio-based economy."
Since she joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2010, Dr. Buan’s lab has contributed practical solutions toward her long-time goal, earning two patents for technologies that can enhance the production of renewable methane and isoprene, which could lead to the production of fuels such as natural gas and jet fuel. Two other pending patents focus on increasing crop growth for feed and fuel production. If these technologies can be developed further, they could help support the Nation’s energy independence and safe environment.
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