News

Report pinpoints meat production as the leading source of deadly pollution

May 10, 2021

Research from BBE's Jason Hill finds that animal production is responsible for the vast majority of air quality-related health impacts from U.S. food. 


People of color hardest hit by air pollution from nearly all emission sources

April 29, 2021

BBE researcher Jason Hill was part of a study that provides new context to environmental injustices. Results indicate that emission sources that disproportionately expose people of color are pervasive throughout American society.


Researchers use computer imaging for early detection of blight on wheat

April 28, 2021

With the use of computer imaging and mask region convolutional neural network (Mask-RCNN), researchers, including BBE assistant professor Ce Yang, have been able to detect the fungus disease of Fusarium head blight (FHB) with more rapid recognition and greater accuracy. This study shows that rapid detection of FHB in wheat spikes could lead to breeding resistant cultivars. 


BBE Researcher Brett Barney and MnDRIVE Work to Develop Sustainable Plastics

April 13, 2021

BBE researcher and associate professor Brett Barney works with MnDRIVE to explore replacing traditional petroleum-based plastics and polymers with bio-based alternatives. Read the full story from Inquiry.


BBE Review Selected as Editor's Choice Article for Water Journal

March 25, 2021

A review written by BBE researcher Chis Lenhart, grad student Brad Gordon, and contributing author Olivia Dorothy has been recognized by peer-review journal, Water, as an editor's choice article. Read the full review on nutrient retention in floodplains


Greener Farms of the Future

March 24, 2021

BBE researcher Bo Hu is working with farmers to find a more stable system that can provide economic incentives for them to run smaller scale anaerobic digester systems. Read the full story here


"We solve environmental problems without creating new ones"

March 22, 2021

BBE faculty member Abdennour Abbas’s startup company has raised $1.5 million in equity capital from investors and aims to raise around $10 million more in 2021. Read the full article in the Star Tribune here


Microalgae used in soil can contribute to better plant growth

March 11, 2021

BBE researcher Adriana Alvarez De la Hoz published a report on the use of microalgae as a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers that pollute the environment. Read the Minnesota Daily's article


Environmental Justice in Distribution of Air Pollution

February 24, 2021

BBE Professor Jason Hill's 2019 study is featured in a new article in National Geographic that highlights work on environmental justice and air pollution. Read the full article.


Remote Sensing in Agriculture Helps Manage Risk

February 5, 2021

Find out how tech has, hasn’t, and can aid in ag risk management in a new paper in Nature Reviews co-led by BBE faculty member Zhenong Jin.