National Biodiesel Board Pays Tribute to Late USU Alum Dallas Hanks
At the 2015 National Biodiesel Conference Jan. 19-22 in Fort Worth, late USU alum Dallas Hanks was honored with the Pioneer Award. Hanks' family members, along with USU researchers Mike Morgan and Ralph Whitesides, accepted the award on his behalf.
In a ceremony held during the National Biodiesel Conference Jan. 19-22, 2015, in Fort Worth, Texas, the National Biodiesel Board posthumously honored Utah State University alum Dallas Hanks ’91 MS, ’10 PhD, with the 2015 Pioneer Award. Hanks, who founded USU’s Center for Agronomic and Woody Biofuels and Utah’s innovative “Freeways-to-Fuel” program, died June 25, 2014, after a four-year battle with cancer. He was 51.
“The biodiesel industry lost a true pioneer with the passing of (Hanks),” read the honorary citation. “The respect he had from his peers was second to none, and he has left a truly lasting legacy in the biodiesel world.”
Accepting the award on Hanks’ behalf, were his girlfriend, Mindy Barker; brother Scott Hanks, along with USU researchers and Hanks’ former colleagues Ralph Whitesides, professor in the Department of Plants, Soils and Climate and Extension weed specialist, and USU undergraduate researcher Mike Morgan. The ceremony included a video presentation commemorating Hanks’ contributions to biodiesel technology.
“It was great to stand on stage with Dr. Whitesides and Dallas’ family and colleagues,” says Morgan, who was mentored by Hanks and is helping to carry on his research. “Great things are still in store due to the impact Dallas leaves in an industry that very honestly loved him and is working hard to make sure his legacy and outside-the-box thinking and approach live on.”
A biochemistry student, Morgan drove the USU-engineered race car powered with USU-made biodiesel he helped to manufacture to speed records in 2012 and 2013. He serves as a co-chair of the NBB’s Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel program and, in this capacity, was among the committee that selected the first recipient of a new undergraduate scholarship funded by the NBB’s Dallas Hanks Memorial Fund.
“Dallas was a huge supporter and contributor to the Next Generation Scientists for Biodiesel program, so it was the consensus of the board this past summer to establish the memorial fund and scholarship program to honor his legacy and advance the visionary work he started,” says Morgan, who conducts research in the lab of USU biochemistry professor Lance Seefeldt.
USU biofuels research efforts continue with interdisciplinary involvement from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the PSC Department, USU Extension and the College of Engineering.
“We’re tapping years of outstanding research by USU scientists and engineers,” Morgan says.
Related links:
“‘This is Where the World Pays Attention’ says USU Biofuels Scientist,” Utah State Today
“Biofuel Boom: USU Researchers Forge Innovative Research Partnerships,” Utah State Today
“Aggie Biofueled Roadster Excels Again – This Time on Pond Scum,” Utah State Today
Contact: Michael R. Morgan, 435-890-9159, michael.r.morgan@hotmail.com
Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, 435-797-3517, maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu
Dallas Hanks, who founded USU's Center for Agronomic and Woody Biofuels and Utah’s innovative 'Freeways-to-Fuel’ program, succumbed to cancer in June 2014. He was 51.
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