Members of the BlazerBloom team during a research meeting

Student Activities

Students in the department participate in a variety of engaging activities in and out of the classroom. The photos below are just a few examples from honor society inductions, field trips, labs, poster sessions, and student-led organizations.

(L-R) Craig Laufer Ph.D., Amanda Ambrose '26, Josephine Sasse ’25 and Drew Ferrier, Ph.D. at the award at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado

Blazer Bloom Team named National Champion at AlgaePrize Competition

Members of the Blazer Bloom team recently traveled to Golden, Co, as one of the 15 national in the AlgaePrize research competition.

Undergraduate students Jo Sasse and Echo Ambrose, along with faculty Dr. Laufer and Dr.Ferrier, presented the team's findings on the use of bioflocculation with magnetotactic bacteria to harvest and dewater microalgae for subsequent biofuels production.

Following two years of dedicated research, and an extensive weekend of presentations and interviews, the team was named one of five national champions!

Thank you to all the team members who made this achievement possible:

Echo Ambrose
Riana Caldwell
Isabella DiPietrantonio
Garrett Hitchens
Ridley Little
Josephine Sasse
Kayla Russell
Dr. Drew Ferrier
Dr. Daehwan Kim
Dr. Craig Laufer

Hood Biology makes it to the Sweet 15! The Big Dance is on!

A team of Hood students and faculty is one of 15 finalists in a national research competition known as the AlgaePrize. The competition encourages students to pursue innovative ideas for the development, design, and invention of technologies within the commercial algae value chain. The AlgaePrize is cosponsored by the US Department of Energy and the Algae Foundation. The Sweet 15 is made up of schools from throughout the country, including the University of Connecticut, UC-San Diego, and the University of Hawaii, to name a few. Our team will be conducting a year-long research project to investigate the use of magnetotectic bacteria in algal harvesting and concentration. This competition extends well beyond March Madness. In fact, it will not culminate until April 2025 at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado where all 15 teams will present their research findings for the judges. Keep up with our progress as we begin hands-on experiments in Hood's laboratories this month.