Sam is a startup founder with a passion for science, the environment, and learning in general. UCF B.S. Chemistry.

I and my team are dedicated to bringing cutting-edge sustainable innovations such as to the market.

Pyrolyzed Polystyrene, better known as Styrofoam is NOT recyclable. It piles up in our landfills and does not breakdown. Until now.

PROJECT 1

SBIR Phase I: Bioreactors for Upcycling Pyrolyzed Polystyrene Waste into Organic Fertilizer.

This project seeks to use a unique combination of technologies to demonstrate that polystyrene foam waste can be processed and bioremediated rapidly into a soil amending “castings” ready for use in gardening, farming, or landscaping.

The project’s research and development effort lies in the complex process of converting polystyrene from an unprocessed waste into both bioplastics and organic acids by way of thermal and biological methods, before further amelioration by decomposer organisms and the formation of a usable agricultural product.

Bioreactors featuring numerous strains and species of microbes never-before deployed for this purpose will be used in tandem with macro-organisms whose capabilities for this application are likewise mostly or entirely unstudied.

This research will uncover the specific abilities of numerous species to digest polystyrene waste at multiple scales and will evaluate several potential pathways through which the resulting digestate could be further processed.

Large sample sizes, stepwise variances in conditions, and permutations of species’ combinations will be used to ensure statistical veracity.

These methods, coupled with the use of cutting-edge analytical equipment, will ensure a high precision in results.

PROJECT 2

SBIR Phase I: Advanced Autonomous Black Soldier Fly Larval Upcycling for Agricultural Protein Production & Composting via Cellular Automata Machine Learning.

This project seeks to bolster the efficiency and viability of small farms by improving and automating black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) composters. These composters are currently used by many farms for their ability to turn farm waste biomass from plants and animals into a highly-prized feed for fowl and fish.

However, inconveniently for small farms, larval feed must be used within 1-5 days, or it will pupate into flies and be lost.

For small farmers, current means of larval-preservation are sorely misaligned with their needs.

Huge investments in industrial BSFL-preservation machines, or the improvised use of appliances like ovens and freezers shared for home-food use are the only options.

To solve the disconnect, the research proposed makes novel use of machine learning and recycles the thermal energy produced in the composting process to fully automate the preservation of the larval harvest onboard the composter, without any inputs from the farmer necessary. This allows for the sustainable production of valuable feed, fully preserved and ready for use by the farmer on-demand.

PROJECT 3

WriggleBrew is a company which creates organic fertilizers, pesticides, and soil amendments. Through innovation, it makes sustainability in agriculture easier, more profitable, and more productive.

Sam is also an Eagle Scout, SCUBA diver, and part-time inventor.