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Grain Science and Industry

Rigdon, Anne

Rigdon, AnneWA 01A
201 Shellenberger Hall
Manhattan, KS, 66506
785-532-4085
aridgon1@ksu.edu

Degree Being Pursued: Ph.D.

Publications

Education

  • B.S. Food Science, South Dakota University, 2006
  • M.S. Food Science, University of Lincoln Nebraska, 2009

Bio Brief

I received my B.S. in food science from South Dakota University in 2006. I fell in love with microbiology while completing courses toward a minor in microbiology as an undergrad and decided to further pursue this interest with a master's degree in food science with an emphasis on food mycology at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. At Nebraska my research focused on inhibiting fungal growth using fermentation by-products as a preservative. This further increased my interest in fermentations and utilizing fungal cultures as a workhorse for fermentation processes. I became even more interested in utilizing microorganisms for the production of biofuels from biomass decided to being working on my Ph.D. in the department of grain science and industry at Kansas State University in August of 2009.

My area of research focuses on the impact of storage on the conversion efficiency of biomass to ethanol or other platform chemicals. I’m also looking into monitoring microbial populations present in stored biomass using molecular methods, along with monitoring changes in these populations and enzymatic activity during biomass storage.

I'm currently working with the Stored Product Protection & Technology Research Group.

Area of Emphasis

Research Group

Stored Product Protection & Technology Research Group (SPPT)

Current Research Project

Impact of Biomass Storage on Processing

  • Objective: Quantify enzymatic and microbial changes in sorghum biomass during extended storage along with ethanol yield under different storage conditions (baled, wrapped in plastic, left in field).