Stephen GentDr. Stephen Gent is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at South Dakota State University. He has been engaged in a variety of cutting-edge theoretical and applied research projects pertaining to renewable energy, sustainability, and agriultural processing. These projects include: 1) development of torrefaction technologies for converting agricultural residues to value-added biochar for soil amendment and biofuel applications; 2) development of fast pyrolysis strategies for producing bio-oil from non-food oilseed meals, 3) studying and computationally predicting the moisture release of corn in continuous flow drying for improved drying efficiency and throughput; 4) developing analytical tools and processes for improving the design of systems that grow algae for biofuels; 5) developing computational fluid dynamics modelling techniques for agricultural and biomedical applications, among others. The intention of his research has been how to effectively design engineered products and processes to be more efficient, reliable, and economical. Dr. Gent has an established publishing and funding record in which he has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and has been a PI or Co-PI on a variety of projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Transportation, and private industry. Dr. Gent has also served as the technical program chair for the Alternative Fuels and Infrastructure track for the last two years at the ASME Energy Sustainability Conference. As a professor, Dr. Gent has taught a variety of courses in thermal-fluids science and energy systems, including thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and computational fluid mechanics, among others. He has embraced pedagogical strategies to actively engage students in the learning experience, while embracing traditional teaching styles that use well-written textbooks. Read More Read Less