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Sept. 10, 2009
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Sept. 10, 2009 > Are algae the answer?

I-CARES Conference
Photo by Joe Angeles

Are algae the answer?

Nearly 100 scientists from all over the world gathered at WUSTL's Knight Center Sept. 1 and 2 to discuss whether algae might be part of the solution to the problem of global warming in a conference sponsored by the International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability (I-CARES). Could algae provide a cheaper and more efficient way of capturing carbon dioxide than plants such as corn or switchgrass? In opening remarks, Sally Benson, Ph.D. (left), director of the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford University, and I-CARES Director Himadri Pakrasi, Ph.D. (right), the George William and Irene Koechig Freiberg Professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences and professor of energy in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, challenged the attending scientists to run the numbers and sort fact from fiction. Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton (center) welcomed the scientists to WUSTL.