March 2019

The Integrated Concentration of Science (iCons) Biodigester Team is officially founded by Hansen Tjo and Joshua E. McGee!

May 2019

The iCons Biodigester Team wins 1st Place at the 2019 iCons Annual Energy Debate!

April 2020

The iCons Biodigester Team wins a prestigious $2,100 Sustainability Innovation & Engagement Fund (SIEF) Grant! The SIEF grant is awarded to innovative projects that provide cost savings and engages the UMass community on sustainability issues. The funds will be used to purchase equipment for construction of a lab-scale biodigester to educate the UMass community on the power of anaerobic digestion as a source of renewable biofuel.

May 2020

The iCons Biodigester Team publishes its first scientific manuscript and policy brief on "Engineering Campus Sustainability via Anaerobic Processes" on the open-source iCons Innovation portal!

The iCons Biodigester Team is awarded a $4,200 summer research assistantship by the iCons program to study the economic feasibility of anaerobic digestion in campuses and municipalities!

June 2020

The iCons Biodigester Team's work is covered by multiple news outlets: BiofuelsDigest, UMass News Media, and the iCons Program!

September 2020

The iCons Biodigester Team delivers an outreach presentation on their work to students in 'Introduction to Chemical Engineering' (ENGIN110)!

December 2020

The iCons Biodigester Team website is officially published and construction of the lab scale biodigester finally begins!

February 2021

The iCons Biodigester Team delivers an outreach presentation on their work to students in 'Integrated Scientific Communication' (iCons 2e)!

September 2021

The iCons Biodigester Team officially rebrands into "Undergradates Raising Awareness for Anaerobic Digestion (URAAD)" with website renovations!

January 2022

Construction of the lab scale biodigester is officially complete and ready to be deployed for Senior Laboratory modules in the Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering Departments! Kieran's senior thesis on refining the Calculator for Anaerobic Digestion Economics algorithm is also underway!

April 2022

The URAAD Team Wins Honorable Mention at the 2022 Undergraduate Sustainability Awards Competition!

April 2022

URAAD's "Legacy of Sustainability Research" is profiled by the iCons Program!

Sep 2022

URAAD under new leadership by Flo Sabatini and Michael Forozis have begun collaborating with Chemical Engineering Lecturer Rolf Jentoft and Biomedical Engineering Lecturer Martin Hunter on operating the biodigester!

Dec 2022

URAAD has performed its first inoculation and biomethane gas generation!

The purity of the biomethane gas generated will be analyzed using FTIR in the Chemistry Department.