Faculty and Staff
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Sara Kuwahara, Ph.D. |
Dr. Sara Kuwahara is an Assistant Professor in the BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Department. Prior to instructing at Cal Poly, she worked on the development of photobioreactors for large scale production of microalgae for nutraceuticals, food and biofuels at the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
Dr. Kuwahara’s main areas of interest are in Controlled Environment Agriculture and nutrient recycling systems for agriculture. She took 1 year off from instruction to work for an Aeroponics plant factory start up OnePointOne and after returning to Cal Poly continues to consult in the area of indoor agriculture.
Her most recent research projects have focused on the use of ultrafine bubbles to saturate water with dissolved gases for plant and microbial crop production. She spent the summer of 2022, as a Visiting Scientist at NASA's Kennedy Space Center doing research on Ultrafine bubbles for hydroponic space applications. She continue her research here at Cal Poly continuing to study ultrafine bubbles in hydroponics as well as applications for local micro and marco-algae species such as Macrocystis (Giant Kelp).
For more on her latest research see the BRAE Vertical Farm.
In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Kuwahara advises the GrowCrew; a student organization that is made up of students interested in sustainable agriculture area such as Hydroponics, Aeroponics, Aquaculture and Controlled Environmental Agriculture. She co-advises the Future Fuels club, a student form organization that is focused on sustainable and renewable energy projects such as biofuels and solar projects.
Specialization:
- BioResource Engineering
- Biosystems Engineering
- Controlled Environmental Agriculture
- Bioreactors
- Wastewater Reuse and Treatment
- Micro and Macro algae
Courses:
- BRAE 150 - Design Graphics and CAD for Agricultural Engineering
- BRAE 220 - Introduction to Biological Systems
- BRAE 321 - Agricultural Safety
- BRAE 332 - Environmental Controls for Agricultural Structures.
- BRAE 348 - Energy for a Sustainable Society
- BRAE 436 - Food and Agriculture Process Water Engineering