Luke Spangenburg

Luke Spangenburg, who died on Sept. 5, 2020, was a nationally recognized leader in the Algae and Biofuels industry was known for his collaborations with educational development programs. He worked on projects with the Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Labs, Sandia National Lab, Los Alamos National Lab and EPSCoR, as well as on a variety of industry collaborations. Luke Spangenburg was involved with the SFCC Alternative Fuels program since its beginning and continued to collaborate in developing new, cutting-edge programs. Since 2012, he directed the Biofuels Center of Excellence. In 2015, the program was voted the second ranked educational program internationally by the industry. He was the president of New Solutions Energy, a company dedicated to integrated bioenergy solutions and held two patents for algal cultivation methods and systems. Luke’s knowledge of sustainable technologies, combined with his passion for the natural world, motivated his work and his students.