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CORVALLIS, Ore. - The growth of natural gas supplies in the United States has led to increased use of this fuel in industry and transportation.

At the April 14 Corvallis Science Pub, Chris Hagen of OSU-Cascades in Bend will discuss his research on a system that would enable homeowners to power their vehicles on natural gas at home. The Science Pub presentation, which is free and open to the public, begins at 6 p.m. in the Old World Deli located at 341 S.W. Second St. in Corvallis.

Hagen is testing an engine that can compress natural gas and store it in a vehicle fuel tank.

"Technologies for compressing natural gas already exist," said Hagen, an assistant professor in the Energy Systems Engineering program. "We can buy a natural gas reciprocating compressor that operates separately and can fuel your car in eight hours. The question is whether we can come up with a commercially viable solution."

Hagen's research is supported by ARPA-E (the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy) through its new program titled Methane Opportunities for Vehicular Energy (MOVE).

Before coming to OSU-Cascades, Hagen was an assistant research professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University. He had also worked at the Chevron Energy Technology Company where he investigated novel fuels for advanced internal combustion engines. His previous industry experience includes working as an application engineer for Woodward, Inc., a global energy system solution provider.

Sponsors of Science Pub include Terra magazine at OSU, the Downtown Corvallis Association and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.