An Introduction to Emily Lahmann's thesis on Biodiesel
Emily Lahmann is from Corvallis, Oregon. She is a senior in the University Honors College at Oregon State University. As a student in the College of Agricultural Sciences, she is majoring in Environmental Economics, Policy, and Management, and minoring in both Agricultural Economics and Political Science. In 2005, Emily was a recipient of an Undergraduate Research Innovation, Scholarship, Creativity (URISC) Grant at OSU. Her URISC project worked with Dr. Skip Rochefort and Dr. David Hackleman from the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Greg Perry from the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department. Her research identified opportunities and limitations for a partnership between agriculture and biodiesel in Oregon.
This project worked with representatives from the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon Women for Agriculture, and Pendleton Grain Growers. These groups and organizations provided access to the Oregon agricultural community, and facilitated the project survey of farmer attitudes toward, familiarity with, and experience with biodiesel.
This link, http://biodiesel.oregonstate.edu/media/thesis_emily.pdf, is a slide presentation of key findings from Emily’s research. The following topics are included in the presentation.
What is biodiesel and what are its benefits?
Why is biodiesel of interest to Oregon farmers?
What do farmers in Oregon think about biodiesel?
Have they used biodiesel?
What do they know about biodiesel?
What qualities of biodiesel interest farmers the most?
Do they think there is a future for the agricultural community and biodiesel?
What are the challenges facing the Oregon agriculture-biodiesel partnership?
What is the role of legislation in this partnership?
What is the impact of the 2005 amendments to the Rapeseed Control Areas?
What is the future of biodiesel and the Oregon agricultural community?
The slide presentation is a snapshot of a larger body of work provided in Emily’s Undergraduate Honors Thesis document, “Biodiesel in Oregon: An Agricultural Perspective”. If you are interested in receiving an electronic copy of the full text of the thesis, please contact Emily Lahmann at emily.tisdale@oregonstate.edu. In addition, Dr. David Hackleman of the OSU Biodiesel Initiative would be happy to receive your questions and comments. You may contact him at david.hackleman@oregonstate.edu.
