AMPUS NEWS _ orosusncomn, THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 3 Students test alternative fuels from renewable green sources Biochar, a new burnable fuel source, may reduce greenhouse gas emissions and 1s good for your garden as well By ALEXANDRA GRANT Ihnree Langara students are dis- covering the ways biochar could benefit our ecosystem. “Is there a mechanism by which we can reverse the massive amounts of carbon dioxide that go into the atmosphere and that are altering the ecology?” said Langara chemistry instructor Kelly Sveinson, who is lead- ing the experiment. “In principle, [bio- char] can do it.” Marcus Stein, Sarah Gurnham, and Hiromi Seguma are the three students on Sveinson’s research team. They all have environmental studies or chemis- try educational backgrounds. “T think that one of the really excit- ing things is that...[biochar] is not su- per well known yet,” said Stein, a sec- ond year environmental — studies student. “It’s kind of neat seeing poten- tial changes...for systems that obvious- ly aren’t working.” Biochar is charcoal created by burn- ing renewable, biological materials such as wood chips without the pres- ence of oxygen. Bio-oil, a thick liquid, and syngas, a gas product, are also cre- ated during this process. All three products are burnable fuel sources and capture carbon that would otherwise go into the atmosphere. This practice could eventually reduce the level of at- mospheric greenhouse gases. “We take local biomass materials and transform them into biochar as a means of carbon sequestration, as a means of an alternative fuel source, [and] as a means of agricultural amend- ment,” said Sveinson. Biochar can be used agriculturally to increase soil fertility and minimize the loss of nutrients. Mark Johnson, a sus- tainability management professor at the University of British Columbia, is leading a UBC-affiliated experiment ex- amining this effect in B.C.’s forest soil. “As the BC timber industry contin- ues to burn logging slash piles, we are investigating the possibility of making biochar on site rather than simply burning these piles,” Johnson added. Sveinson assembled a biochar reac- tor this fall outside the A-building of Langara. The reactor, which currently cap- tures only bio-oil and biochar, is com- prised of a metal cylinder with a sealed lid and branching tubes for gas emis- sions and bio-oil collection. wer | > AN - r i d > ae . . J . ‘ ALEXANDRA GRANT photo Langara chemistry instructor Kelly Sveinson inspects his biochar reactor outside the A-build- ing. The reactor caputures bio-oil and biochar, two burnable and alternative fuel sources. Workshop just for renters All questions about renting will be answered during Langara’s Finding Hous- ing workshop next week By JENNIFER FONG Langara is holding a Finding Housing workshop on Nov.16 that covers everything new renters need to know. This one-hour workshop includes such topics as how to find a place, what to consider when choosing a location, questions to ask before making a deci- sion, and what to do before making the move. "It focuses on where to look, how to look, and some of the safety precau- tions they should take," said Teresa Brooks, organizer of the workshop. She hopes that the workshop will give students an idea of where to start and the confidence to do it safely and successfully. “Scams are a big problem when it comes to renting,” said Cathy Snyder Lowe, international student coordina- tor. "It's important that students really understand their rights and responsi- bilities so they can recognize when something just isn't right." This workshop has been presented before and recieved rave reviews. "[Students] say they had no idea where to begin and happily report this Lo the nest just got easier. “JENNIFER FONG photo Arts student Hailey Starnes stands by a house that’s available for rent. workshop really helped them with what can be an intimidating process," said Lowe. Colin Doig, rental property manager for Advent said first time renters are “not prepared at all.” Common topics of confusion include damage deposit amounts, living plans and lease terms. “Any education [on the topic] would be beneficial,” said Doig. Though this workshop is aimed at international students, any student may attend. Sign up is at the Interna- tional Education office until Nov.15. BEFORE you rent How much is the rent? Is a security de- posit needed? How much is it? What amenities are available? How long is the lease? What is the penalty for terminating the lease early? Is there an ap- plication fee? How much is it? Can you sublet? Cn OF CF FP O&O ND = Do the people seem professional and knowledgable? 9 Are utilities included? 10 Who does the maintenance and are they reliable? Are they available all the time? Source:www.degraeve.com Langara tested business students in its first-ever Competition’s Club contest Langara Competition’s Club members poured over real world business scenarios for four hours last weekend thinking up the best solution to win $300 and experience By PATRICK JOHNSTON their business skills to compete for a $300 grand prize last weekend. Nine teams competed on Friday in Langara’s first-ever case competition event and only four advanced to Satur- day’s final round. Langara Competitions Club mem- bers had four hours to solve a real- world business scenario, prepare a 15-minute presentation for a panel of judges and answer five minutes of questions. The team of Alvin Kwong, Arthur Young and Rebeca Pifia won based on the quality of their presentation and analysis. The trio credited their win to five fo- cused days of preparation and their willingness to say what they felt about each others’ ideas. “We spent time anticipating flaws in our presentation,” said Kwong. The judges were recruited from the local business community and Langara College faculty. Tires Langara students used Matt Millar of Union Jack Newspa- pers allowed his newspaper’s online strategy to be used as a case study for the competition. He wasn’t just looking to help stu- dents learn, he said. He was also look- ing for real-world input. “T came to hear 20 critical minds,” said Millar. Stephane Guerraz, business compe- titions instructor at the School of Man- agement, said Langara business gradu- ates find the skills they learn from case studies to be very useful in their pro- fessional careers. The club was inspired by Guerraz’s course and uses some of his teachings. Club president Andy Chou was pleased with the event. He felt the club’s profile was improved and the competition gave students a chance to stand out before potential employers. Brodie Wasserman competed in Fri- day’s first round and said he would compete again. “We get to practise quick, business- time decision making,” said Wasser- man said.