Modi Research Group | Matt Basinger

Matt Basinger

Matt Basinger Post-Doctoral Research Fellow for the Earth Institute working on a Solar PV Micro-Utility Project for the Millennium Villages as a part of the Modi Research Group. He recently received his doctorate in Earth and Environmental Engineering investigating biofuels in mechanized agro-processing systems for developing country applications. He coordinated the BELT (Biofuel Engine Longevity Test) cooperative involving collaborative research between several universities all performing parallel endurance tests with plant oil fueled stationary engines common to Africa and India. He also studied the appropriateness and scaling of potential feedstock sources like Jatropha Curcas. In addition to his engine and jatropha research he has developed a rainwater harvesting system sizing tool (SARET) with colleagues at the SWRE Lab, is on the board of directors of an engineering consulting company in Southeast Asia, and enjoys making music and playing the guitar.

Research Areas (related posts)

Sustainable Development Infrastructure, Distributed Power, Agro-processing, Bio-Fuels, Rainwater Harvesting

Academic Publications and Conference Presentations

Basinger, M., Modi, V. Agro-processing Farming Cooperatives Powered by Locally Grown Plant Oil. 17th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference, May 2011. Oral Presentation.
Basinger, M., Soto, D., Menon, R., Willig, I., Modi, V. Sharedsolar: a last-mile technology for pre-paid electrification via mobile telephony. 17th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference, May 2011. Poster Presentation.
Singer, T., Basinger, M. Putting Farmers First for Biofuel Production. Tiempo Climate Newswatch (electronic journal). May 2011.
Kohn, M., Lee, J., Basinger, M., Castaldi, M. Performance of an Internal Combustion Engine Operating on Landfill Gas and the Effect of Syngas Addition. Industrial & Engineering Chemical Research, Volume 50, Issue 6, February 2011, Pages 3570–3579.
Basinger, M., Montalto, F., Lall, U. A Rainwater Harvesting System Reliability Model Based on Nonparametric Stochastic Rainfall Generator. Journal of Hydrology. Volume 392, Issues 3-4, 15 October 2010, Pages 105-118.
Basinger, M., Reding, T., Williams, C., Lackner, K. S., Modi, V. Compression Ignition Engine Modifications for Straight Plant Oil Fueling in Remote Contexts: Modification Design and Short-run Testing. Fuel, Volume 89, Issue 10, October 2010, Pages 2925-2938.
Basinger, M., Chen, J., Jeffry-Coker, F., Rodriguez-Sanchez, F. S., Singer, T., Modi, V. Jatropha Adoption: A Statistical Observational Study of Factors Influencing Malian Farmers’ Decision to Grow Jatropha. Agroforestry Systems. (In-review, submitted August 2010.)
Basinger, M., Reding, T., Rodriquez-Sanchez, F. S., Lackner, K. S., Modi, V. Durability Testing Modified Compression Ignition Engines Fueled with Straight Plant Oil. Energy, Volume 35, Issue 8, August 2010, Pages 3204-3220. Reding, T., Akbari, P., Frank, A., Rodriguez, S., Zambito, J., Bosco, S., Basinger, M. Effects of Water/Waste Vegetable Oil Emulsions on Emissions of a Listeroid Diesel Engine. ASME’s International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, November 2009.
Basinger, M., Modi, V. BELT (Biofuel Engine Longevity Test) Cooperative: A Multi-University Research Collaboration. The Earth Institute’s Student Research Conference, March 2009. Oral Presentation.
Basinger, M., Montalto, F., Lall, U. SARET (Sizing And Reliability Estimation Tool): Applying a Markov Bootstrap Model to Rain Water Harvesting. ASCE’s International Low Impact Development (LID) Conference, November 2008. Poster Presentation.
Reding, T., Naraghi, Bosco, S., Rodriguez, S., Miranda, A., Basinger, M. The Use of Waste Vegetable Oil as Fuel for Distributed Power Generation in Developing Countries. ASME’s International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, November 2008.

Additional Publications

Basinger, M. SharedSolar: Prepaid Electricity Via Mobile Telephony. TEDx Talk, Columbia University School of Engineering, April 2011.
Beimiller, Amy. Powering Engines in Uganda. Columbia Engineering News. (Feature article covering Matt). Spring 2011.
Hiskes, Jonathan. Bright Greens. Response Magazine. (Story covers Matt’s work). Spring 2011.
Basinger, M. Small Steps – Sustainable Development One Light Bulb at a Time. The Other Journal (electronic theology journal) – feature article, January-February 2006.
Basinger, M. PSoC CapSense: Capacitive Touch Sensing Made Easy. Electronic Product Design (UK trade magazine) – cover article, October 2005.