Algae: The Next Green Biofuel - Scott Williams, PhD #IB12

I was recently invited to talk about my research, and algae biofuels in general, at Ignite Baltimore 12.
The condensed Ignite format (5 minutes total; 20 slides x 15 sec each, auto-advance) led to a talk tailored for a general audience.
A recording of the talk is available for anyone interested to learn about algae biofuels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12g_WII_qqY

Abstract

Researchers in Baltimore lead a revolution in biofuels, produced from a tiny biological powerhouse. We lead energy intense lives. Fossil fuel sources are dwindling. Their use changes our climate. Foreign imports are used to meet rising demand. Biofuels are renewable, carbon-neutral, and grown domestically. One promising biofuel source is algae, which grows at a very high rate; 1 pound of algae grows to 50 lbs in only 7 days. Bio-oil makes up 30% of the weight of algae, which is extracted to make biofuels to supplement or replace gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Crops need fertile soil to grow. Algae can grow on non-arable land to avoid the "Food-or-Fuel" conflict of biofuels like corn ethanol or soy biodiesel. As research improves efficiency in algae biofuels, prices continue to drop. In our lifetime, algae will be farmed as a crop the way corn is today, and cars, trucks, planes and trains will use a truly green fuel. Presented for all with a Creative Commons license (BY-NC-SA).

The Creative Commons license applies to the talk, the video, the slides, and all of the content.
If you like, you can download the video from our Vimeo page:

https://vimeo.com/omahabiofuelscoop/algae-the-next-green-biofuel

The slides are available here:

{open office version}

Here are the slides in a ppt version for anyone who hasn't yet started adopting open document formats

https://archive.org/details/WilliamsSHIgniteAlgaeVFINALSources