Elisabeth Linton is a Logan, Utah native. She has been working as an undergraduate researcher since September of 2004. As a Biological Engineering major, her work is focused on applying engineering principles to realistic issues. Over the years, she has been involved in several research projects with Dr. Ronald Sims, including studies on pollutant degradation. Specifically, the majority of her work has been on the production of a biodegradable plastic compound, called polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), using various waste sources like municipal waste and biodiesel byproducts. She is currently the principle investigator on a reactor design project that is focused on using the carbon rich effluent of an agricultural anaerobic digester to produce the bioplastic compound. This integration of bioplastic production and dairy waste treatment would add economic value to dairy farms, while simultaneously resulting in environmentally neutral and economic plastic production. Economic production of PHAs would facilitate its widespread use and decrease the prevalence of nondegradable petrochemical plastics. Elisabeth’s responsibilities in this project include experimental design, instrument operation, data collection, and data analysis. She has also presented research at multiple conferences, including the Institute of Biological Engineering and the Inland Northwest Research Alliance. Exposure to a wide range of sustainability issues as an undergraduate student has influenced her goals for her graduate work by encouraging her to pursue research in bioprocessing and bioenergy with the intent of furthering research in sustainable alternatives to petrochemicals and other nonrenewable resources. She will be starting her Masters Degree at Utah State University in the Fall of 2008.