Lisa Ott

New Fall 2008
Faculty Members

You can read complete short bios for each of our new faculty members here.

Lisa Ott, Department of Chemistry, grew up in Penryn, in Placer County, and is glad to be back in Northern California. She earned a PhD in chemistry from Colorado State University and then spent two years as a National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council postdoctoral associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Her research interests include alternative fuels and feedstocks, nanocluster chemistry, and catalysis.

What, specifically, are you researching in the area of alternative fuels and feedstocks?
I am interested in developing feedstocks that are relevant to the North State. A biofuel is not an environmentally sound choice if you are shipping the feedstock from the Midwest, so we need to develop some feedstocks that are grown right here in our own backyards. Two main agricultural staples around Chico are almonds and rice, so we’re going to get started with that. My collaborator in mechanical engineering, Joe Greene, and I are very excited to get going on some interdepartmental work focusing on these locally grown biodiesel feedstocks.

What piece of research are you most excited about?
I recently finished a paper measuring densities and sound speeds on biodiesel components. While that might not sound so exciting, these measurements are really important in designing engines that will burn more cleanly and efficiently on biofuels.

What areas in the North State are your favorite for hiking and cycling?
I love to cycle in all of the orchards around town! They are wonderfully shady during hot Chico afternoons. Also, my husband and I really enjoy the area around Chester, and recently did a great day hike up the North Fork of the Feather River with our dogs.}

You can read Lisa Ott’s complete profile at http://www.csuchico.edu/pub/inside/09_18_08/newFaculty.shtml.

—Kathleen McPartland, Public Affairs and Publications