BlazerBloom Research Team Named National Champion in U.S. Department of Energy’s AlgaePrize Competition
BlazerBloom, established in 2023, recognized for research into algae as renewable, reliable energy source
By Mason Cavalier
(L-R) Craig Laufer, Ph.D., Amanda Ambrose '26, Josephine Sasse '25 and Drew Ferrier, Ph.D., at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado
Hood College is proud to announce that its student research team, BlazerBloom, has been named one of five national champions in the 2025 AlgaePrize, a prestigious research competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The team received the award at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
The student team was comprised of environmental science & policy major Amanda Ambrose ’26; biology majors Riana Caldwell ’25, Garrett Hitchens ’23 M.S.’25, Ridley Little ’25 and Kayla Russell ’24; as well as sustainability studies majors Isabella DiPietrantonio ’25 and Josephine Sasse ’25. Faculty members Drew Ferrier, Ph.D., Daehwan Kim, Ph.D., and Craig Laufer, Ph.D., oversaw the team.
"Working with such passionate and intelligent teammates has been wonderful, and it has opened my eyes to what research is truly about,” said Amanda Ambrose ’26.
(L-R) Amanda Ambrose '26 and Josephine Sasse ’25 pose with the AlgaePrize trophy
“Everyone dedicated so many hours to the project while balancing academics, graduation, and other opportunities. BlazerBloom being named Champion was a moment we had been working toward, and was one of the highlights of my education, made possible by our team's incredible faculty."
This recognition follows two years of dedicated research after Hood was named one of only 15 national finalists in the AlgaePrize’s 2023–2025 cycle. The competition challenges students from across the country to create innovative solutions for transforming algae into viable products such as fuel, food, fertilizer, and other sustainable bioproducts.
The BlazerBloom team competed against 13 other finalist teams representing high schools, colleges, and universities from across the United States. BlazerBlooms’s research focused on leveraging algae to produce a carbon-neutral renewable biofuel, a type of fuel which can directly substitute for petroleum-based transportation fuels. BlazerBloom team members gained real-world research experience alongside Hood faculty members while developing cutting-edge ideas to lower the cost of producing algal biofuels and bioproducts.
As a championship team, BlazerBloom received a $10,000 cash prize to support ongoing student research at Hood—an investment in the future of bioeconomy innovation and environmental sustainability.
