Friday, July 12, 2024
Courtesy of OSU News Dr. Yu Feng’s research aims to improve public health and set new standards in global health risk assessments for vaping products.
Feng awarded bronze medal for groundbreaking digital system Courtesy of OSU News
Dr. Yu Feng, associate professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at Oklahoma State University, participated in the 2024 Rural Health Innovation Challenge, representing OSU’s Center for Health Systems Innovation
in collaboration with the Public Health Institute of Oklahoma. The Rural Health Innovation Challenge in Oklahoma aims to address the distinctive health care challenges that rural communities face. This challenge involved five key categories, with Feng participating in the Cardiology and Community group. Building upon Feng’s commitment to advancing pulmonary health, he aims to develop multi-scale modeling strate-
gies for public health programs, enhanc- to the residents of Oklahoma as they ing overall human health. should be, and “Oklahoma has higher Before embarking on the innova- usage rates of vaping products among tion challenge, his research was “inadults (11%) and high school students spired by significant health concerns (21.7%) compared to the national averassociated with the rise of new and age (7.7%) for adults,” Feng said. Adunregulated vaping products, particular- ditionally, 41% of Oklahomans live in ly among Oklahomans in rural areas,” rural areas that have not been well-eduFeng said. cated about the potential risks of vaping The risks and information conproducts. cerning e-cigarettes and vaping products are not always as easily accessible See Feng on 2
Top 5 things OSU coach Gundy said at Big 12 Media Days Calif Poncy Staff Reporter
teams. From Day 1, I’ve always said that I think we have the best commissioner in all of sports. In the Big 12, we have a guy that’s innovative, he’s smart, he’s not afraid to take a chance. I have confidence in him. Mike Gundy took the stage in And with that being said, I believe Las Vegas Tuesday to speak to the that this conference is going to play media at Big 12 Media Days. Here better over the next four to five years are a few of the most interesting than it has in the last 12 to 15.” things he had to say regarding the Gundy on Ollie Gordon’s upcoming 2024-25 season. mindset following his arrest Gundy on the experience of “Ollie’s doing fine; I’ve met Alan Bowman with him multiple times over the last “Alan has done a really good week. To be quite honest with you, job of adapting to our culture and yesterday we had another hour-long buying into Oklahoma State Univer- conversation, and it was really the sity. He’s very mature, he’s engaged first time that he had smiled. I think to be married, he already has two that affected him how it would most degrees. He has a good feel for us, people. We brought him here today a good feel for our system. He’s so you guys can ask him that quesbeen around a long time and I think tion. That was one of the reasons the experience that he brings to our that I wanted to bring him here. It’s team, the respect, and the players be- hard for me to speak for Ollie; I can lieve in him at this point benefits us only give you some indication of the most at this time.” what I’ve seen over the last week. I Gundy on the state of the Big sat back and thought about what was 12 going forward best for Oklahoma State University, “I’m really excited about our Oklahoma State football and we conference. I’ve said that the last move forward. “ few years as we continued to add See Gundy on 6
File Photo OSU coach Mike Gundy took the stage in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon at Big 12 Media Days.
Total eclipse at OSU Kiamichi Forestry Research Station in Idabel on April 8.
Courtesy of OSU News
OSU, Tennessee researchers make an impact on biomass economic and sustainability potential Courtesy of OSU News
Oklahoma State University is leaving its mark on increasing biomass production in the United States by contributing to the U.S. Department of Energy 2023 Billion-Ton Report. Released in March, the report examines more than 60 resources for biomass production with agricultural land, forest land, waste and algae. Biomass is organic material from crop residue, agriculture and food waste, forest residue, trees and dedicated energy crops. It can be used to make sustainable fuel, fibers, electricity, construction materials, plastics and more. According to the Billion-Ton Report, the agriculture industry has the potential to produce about 500-800 million tons of biomass annually with the current bioeconomy producing 340 million tons of biomass per year. The report highlights that 7% of cropland and 12% of pastureland could contribute to the biomass market through native plant growth. For example, switchgrass in Oklahoma could be used as a biomass crop. Lixia Lambert, assistant professor in the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics, has teamed up with OSU alumni to help prepare the Billion-Ton Report for the past 12 years. Since 2015, Lambert and Burton English, institute professor in agricultural and resource economics at the University of Tennessee, have spearheaded the creation of a modeling tool to analyze the potential of forest biomass resources in the U.S. With their Forest Sustainable and Economic Analysis Model, researchers
can calculate the amount of woodland biomass available based on economic, environmental and sustainability factors. “Lambert’s expertise provides invaluable insights into the sustainable management of forest biomass resources, how much forest biomass is available, how the distribution of those resources would work and the potential impacts to ecosystems,” said Matthew Langholtz, the Billion-Ton Report’s principal investigator and an OSU forestry alumnus who serves as a natural resource economist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Lambert’s research showed that forestland produces about 200 million tons of biomass per year. “The objective is to minimize harvesting costs while estimating how much woodland biomass can be harvested across the country,” Lambert said. The next step is making the model available to the public so other researchers can utilize it. The OSU Eastern Research Station in Haskell conducted regional switchgrass field trials to contribute to the 2016 and 2023 reports’ economic model for determining the potential of biomass crops. “The Billion-Ton Report demonstrates the U.S. has a diverse portfolio of biomass resources that can grow the bioeconomy to support national economic and environmental goals,” Langholtz said. “When we use perennial crops in the agricultural landscape, they can provide many environmental benefits, such as the reduction of carbon dioxide and improved water quality. There’s also potential to reduce soil erosion and improve water quality, so using perennials as biomass crops can provide environmental benefits as well.” news.ed@ocolly.com