Algae Biomass Organization Recognizes Six Students With Young Algae Researcher Awards at Algae Biomass Summit In Orlando

ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - Oct 3, 2013) - Six student scientists were presented with the second annual Young Algae Researcher Awards today in Orlando, Florida for their contributions to fields of algae biology and engineering on the final day of the 2013 Algae Biomass Summit, the official conference of the Algae Biomass Organization (ABO).

The awards are presented at the world's largest gathering of algae industry and academic leaders to recognize outstanding research projects by early-career scientists that are finding new ways to use algae to create a range of renewable fuels, fertilizers, plastics and other products.

More than 130 applications for poster presentations were received by the Algae Biomass Organization from the U.S. and other countries, including Australia, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, France, Canada, Taiwan and Malaysia.

"We congratulate each of these young, brilliant and determined scientists," said Mary Rosenthal, Executive Director of the Algae Biomass Organization. "The growing level of interest we see each year from young scientists making contributions to algae biology and engineering gives us high hopes for the future of the algae industry."

The Young Algae Research Awards are presented to winners for research conducted in two subject areas: biology and engineering.

For outstanding research in algae biology awards went to:
1^st Prize: Wilson Mendoza, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC- San Diego
2^nd Prize: Anil Patel, McGill University
3^rd Prize: Naoko Kobayasi, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The runners up for the biology category were Manoj Kamalanathan of Monash University and Ryan Georgianna from the University of California- San Diego.

For outstanding research in algae engineering awards went to:
1^st Prize: Thomas Murphy, University of Texas at Austin
2^nd Prize: Katerine Napan, Utah State University
3^rd Prize: Pavlo Bohutskyi, Johns Hopkins University

Runners up in the engineering category were Alex Lunka from Ohio University and Martin Gross Iowa State University

The Algae Biomass Summit concludes Thursday afternoon. Information on the event, including a full agenda is available at http://algaebiomasssummit.org. Ongoing developments can also be monitored via the Twitter hashtag #ABS13. Next year's Summit will be held in San Diego, California.

About the ABO
The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website:www.algaebiomass.org.

Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing our world today. Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuels in our vehicles, recycle CO2, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans. More information can be found at www.allaboutalgae.com.