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Midshipman Wins Office of Naval Intelligence Trident Scholar Prize

  POSTED ON: Friday, May 9, 2014 8:00 AM by NAVAL ACADEMY PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Midshipman 1st Class Brynn E. Umbach is the winner of this year’s Office of Naval Intelligence Class of 1979 Trident Scholar Prize for her project entitled “Characterization of Microalgal Lipids for Optimization of Biofuels.”

Umbach, who also received 2014 Iota Sigma Pi (ISP) Undergrad Award for Excellence in Chemistry last month. was one of seven Trident Scholars selected for the Class of 2014.

Her research advisor is Assistant Professor Charles R. Sweet.

"Being her research adviser makes me strive every day to be the best mentor and scientist I can be," said Sweet. "That to me is the highest praise I can give to a research student."

Umbach's interest in the lipid content and composition of extremophilic and estuarine microalgae for suitability as biofuel feedstock has led her to an ambitious multi-year research project on the development of algal biofuels.

"I was in the laboratory for about two in a half years doing independent research under the guidance of Dr. Sweet," said Umbach. "When I look back on when I started working in the lab at 0745 and left the lab when it was starting to get dark around 1700, and I can confidently say that it was all worth it."


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