Brendan Higgins was recently awarded the Ernest E. Hill Fellowship to support his research on sustainable water treatment and algal biofuel production. Wastewater treatment processes have been reported to contribute 35 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions as carbon dioxide equivalents annually. Brendan proposes to examine co-cultivation of algae and other microorganisms as a means of treating wastewater while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and producing biofuel. 

The Hill Fellowship was initiated with a generous donation by Ernest E. Hill and family members to support student research in disciplines addressing the impact of global warming on the climate system and biosphere, and the development of carbon-neutral alternative energy solutions. 

Graduate students from the four colleges at UC Davis (Letters and Science, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences and Engineering) are eligible to apply for a Hill Fellowship. The award is to support research focused on the impacts of global warming on the climate system and biosphere and/or the development of carbon-neutral-alternative-energy solutions.