8/18/14

I started my Monday by completing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on the balcony of our hotel in Curitiba. It was not warm, but definitely helped me wake up, and I did it for a good cause. Once I was nice and wide awake from that, we grabbed a quick breakfast - and I mean a piece of fruit and a roll with butter quick - and left for the Federal University of Parana. The University holds a research group called NPDEAS, whose focus is on the cultivation of microalgae to be converted into biofuel. The group's goal is to produce 60 kW to power their facility and achieve net-zero energy demand. We got to see the cultivating room and four photobioreactors (PBRs), which are a system of closed tubes that provide a controlled environment for high yields of algae. The other campus complex we visited was a large-scale hydrology modeling facility. This research group conducts studies for some of the largest, most complex water resources engineering projects all over the world. When a new dam is to be constructed, for example, the group builds a fully-functional scale model of the project to predict hydrologic behavior and environmental impacts associated with the dam's construction. The construction phase of these projects is often designed around the research - when one section of the project is analyzed and approved, the construction may begin. However, due to lack of regulations and communication, the group's recommendations are not always taken seriously by the owner/contractor when they have the potential to impact the budget or schedule. After the University visit came to an end, we hit the road for a nice seven hour drive to Sao Pedro do Ivai, Parana.