On the cover: Megan Lien, an undergraduate research assistant, waters young switchgrass in a university greenhouse. She is a junior environmental studies major from Omaha. Switchgrass is a top crop candidate for biomass fuel production. Ken Vogel, a USDA-Agricultural Research Service geneticist in IANR's agronomy department, is developing new switchgrasses that yield the most biomass for ethanol production. Vogel's team also studies management practices to maximize biomass production. Thanks to his research, NU is a leader in developing this native prairie grass into a viable renewable fuel source. See stories on pages 12 and 13.

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Cover photo by Brett Hampton