The Messenger 04.10.08

Tanya McDonald, bioenergy research associate at Olds College School of Innovation in Olds, Alberta, and energy and environmental development chair for the Alberta Association of Colleges and Technical Institutes, will speak at the University of Tennessee at Martin Tuesday as part of the International Lecture Series.
The event is set for 4 p.m. in the Legislative Chambers of Boling University Center. Her topic will be “A Canadian Perspective on Bridging the Gap Between Agriculture and Energy.”
This event is free and open to the public.
McDonald was named development chair in January 2007, following her appointment as research associate for the Olds College School of Innovation in May 2006. She has also been serving as an instructor in the Land and Water Resources Program at Olds College since 2005.
As research associate and development chair, McDonald is responsible for project acquisition, management and accountability for applied research projects in the area of bioenergy production, waste management, greenhouse and gas mitigation and sustainable agriculture.
She brings to her positions more than 10 years of combined experience in applied research and technical and feasibility assessments for large-scale renewable energy projects.
She holds a bachelor of science degree from Athabasca University and a master of science degree in civil engineering, with a specialization in environmental engineering, from the University of Calgary.
In her lecture, McDonald will speak of her own biofuels research at Olds College within the context of Alberta’s energy policies. Although Alberta is home to the Athabasca tar sands and is a major producer of petroleum, the province also supports an innovative program of research in alternative sources of energy.
McDonald’s talk will explore Alberta’s alternative energy programs and will explain how her own work at Olds contributes to them.
For more information about the program at UT Martin, contact the Center for Global Studies and International Education at (731) 881-1017.