19th Annual California Bioresources Alliance Symposium

Tentative Agenda

Please note: Draft agenda subject to change. This year, virtual attendance will not be available. However, we will post a recording of the event afterward. We highly encourage in-person attendance to fully benefit from the collaborative atmosphere and the valuable networking opportunities.

DAY 1: Tuesday, November 19th

8:00- 8:30: Check-in 

8:30- 8:45: Welcome 

• Jonna Mazet, Vice Provost, UC Davis Grand Challenges
• Lauren Fondahl, Biosolids Coordinator, Water Division, U.S. EPA Region 9

8:45 – 9:15: Opening Keynote by Krystal Acierto, Deputy Secretary, Public Policy Cal EPA 

9:15 – 10:00: Session 1: Transformation through Collaboration

• • Moderated by Paul Dodd, Associate Vice Chancellor, UC Davis Grand Challenges

• Krystal Acierto, Deputy Secretary, Public Policy Cal EPA

• • Karen McDonald, Professor, UC Davis Chemical Engineering
  • Dan Noble, Executive Director, Association of Compost Producers
  • Jim DiPasquale, Wood & Biomass Utilization Program Manager, USFS
  • Dan Adler, Deputy Director for Climate Finance, iBank

10:00-11:15: Session 2A: Biorefining

• Moderated by Michael Long, Principal, Long Thermochemical
  • Mike Hart, CEO, Sierra Energy & President, Sierra Railroad Company
  • Paul Erickson, Professor, UC Davis Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering
  • Greg Shipley, CEO and Founder, Bioenergy Design, LLC
  • Brian Bauer, CEO, Resynergi
  • Roger Ruan, Professor, University of Minnesota Dept. of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering; Center for Biorefining

11:15-11:30: Break

11:30- 12:30: Session 2B: Biorefining

• Moderated by Steve Kaffka, UC Davis Cooperative Extension Specialist and Director, California Biomass Collaborative
  • Eric Meyer, Owner, NapaChar
  • Rod Kux, Operations Lead, Takachar Limited
  • Jeff Greef, CEO, Plumas Wood Fiber
  • Ruihong Zhang, Professor, UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering

12:30-1:30: Lunch and Poster Session

1:30-2:30: Session 3: Alternative Technologies

• Moderated by James Dunbar, General Manager, Lystek
  • Ramin Yazdani, Associate Professional Researcher, Air Quality Research Center, UC Davis
  • Russel Adams, President/CEO, Advanced Organic Methods Inc.
  • Valeria La Saponara, Professor, UC Davis Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Brian Kolodji, Founder and CEO, Kolodji Corporation

2:30-3:30: Session 4: Bioresource Contaminant Management

• Moderator: Maile Lono-Batura, Director of Renewable Resource Program, CASA
  • Joseph Yonkoski, Biodigester Engineer Supervisor, UC Davis Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester (READ)
  • Lynda Paxton, Principal, Waste Reduction Enterprises, LLC/Phenix Resources
  • Angel Zhang, Environmental Scientist, CalRecycle
  • Sandrine Matiasek, Associate Professor, CSU Chico

3:30-3:45: Break

3:45-4:45: Session 5: Community Bioresources

• Moderated by Michael Theroux, Vice President, JDMT Inc.
  • Christopher Danch, Executive Director, Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council
  • Nathan Rich, CEO, Strong Heart Consulting, Tribal Representative for North Coast Resource Partnership
  • Fernando Mora, Pomo Tribe
  • Boon-Ling Yeo, Project Scientist, UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering

4:45-5:00: Wrap Up

5:00 – 5:30: Lightning Presentations 

5:30-7:00: Reception

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DAY 2: Wednesday, November 20th

8:00 – 8:45: Optional Coffee/Tea and Networking

8:45-9:00: Welcome and Announcements

• Lauren Fondahl, Biosolids Coordinator, Water Division, U.S. EPA Region 9

9:00-10:15: Session 6: The Future of Compost

• Moderator: Jeff Ziegenbein, President, CA Association of Compost Producers
• Regina Guerra, Founder and CEO, Be the Earth
• Patrick Beckett, Environmental Engineer, BioFiltro
• Dan Noble, President, Noble Bioresources, Inc.
• Darek Trowbridge, Owner, Old World Winery

10:15-10:30: Break

10:30-11:45: Session 7: Research and Regional Innovation Opportunities

• Moderator: Ruihong Zhang, Professor, UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering
  • Somayeh Nassiri, Professor, UC Davis Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Somen Nandi, Adjunct Faculty in Chemical Engineering, Founder & Managing Director, Global Healthshare Initiative
  • Christopher Simmons, Dept. Chair and Professor, UC Davis Food Science & Technology
  • Sanjai J. Parikh, Associate Professor, UC Davis Dept of Land, Air, and Water Resources
  • Gabriel Youtsey, Chief Innovation Officer at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

11:45- 12:00:Wrap-Up Final Discussion and Q&A

• • Lauren Fondahl, Biosolids Coordinator, Water Division, U.S. EPA Region 9
  • Ruihong Zhang, Professor, UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering
  • Paul Dodd, Associate Vice Chancellor, UC Davis Grand Challenges
  • Dan Noble, President, Noble Bioresources, Inc.
  • Michael Theroux, Vice President, JDMT Inc.

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Optional Additional Activity:

12:00-1:00 Lunch for Tour Participants

1:00 Optional Tours:

UC Davis Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester (READ; UC Davis Campus)

Sierra Northern Railway Zero Emission Hydrogen Fuel Cell Locomotive (West Sacramento)

Lystek’s Fairfield OMRC Site (Fairfield)