The eighteenth annual biochemical engineering symposium was held during April 22–23, 1988 at the YMCA of the Rockies conference center in Estes Park, Colorado, under the sponsorship of the University of Colorado. Previous symposia in this series have been hosted by Kansas State University (1st, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 12th, 16th), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2nd, 4th), Iowa State University (6th, 7th, l0th, 13th, 17th), University of Missouri–Columbia (8th, 14th), and Colorado State University (11th, 15th). Next year's symposium is scheduled to be held at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The symposia are devoted to talks by students about their ongoing research. Because final publication usually takes place elsewhere, the papers included in the proceedings are brief, and often cover work in progress.

Contents
Applications of mass spectrometers in biochemical engineering
John P. McDonald, Ayush Gupta, and Lourdes Taladriz, Kansas State University

Enzymatic hydrolysis of corn gluten proteins
Julie Hardwick; Iowa State University

Improved Acetone-Butanol Fermentation Analysis
Z. Buday; Colorado State University

On-Line State Identification for Batch Fermentation
D. A. Gee and W. F. Ramirez; University of Colorado

Role of Spargers in Air-Lift Reactors
Peter U. Sohn and Rakesh K. Bajpai; University of Missouri–Columbia

The Interaction of Microcarriers and Turbulence within an Airlift Fermenter
G. Travis Jones; Kansas State University

Oxygen Diffusion in the Inter-Fiber Gel/Cell Matrix of NMR-Compatible Hollow Fiber Bio-Reactors
S. L. Hanson, B. E. Dale, and R. J. Gillies; Colorado State University

Characterization of Ca-alginate Gel Beads Formation
Horngtwu Su, Rakesh K. Bajpai, and George W. Preckshot; University of Missouri–Columbia

Metabolic Effects of Chloramphenicol Resistance in the Recombinant Host/Vector System: E. coli RRl [pBR329]
William E. Bentley, Dana C. Andersen, Dhinakar S. Kompala, and Robert H. Davis; University of Colorado

Genetic Engineering of Beta-Galactosidase to Aid in Fermentation Product Recovery by Polyelectrolyte Precipitation
D. E. Parker, C. E. Glatz, J. Zhao, C. F. Ford, S. M. Gendel, and M. A. Rougvie; Iowa State University

Biodegradation of Organic Compounds in Soil
Lourdes Taladriz, L. E. Erickson, and L. T. Fan; Kansas State University

Effect of Dilution, pH and Nutrient Composition on the Biodegradation of Metalworking Fluids
Ayush Gupta, L. E. Erickson, and L. T. Fan; Kansas State University

Dissolved Hydrogen Correlation with Redox Potential in Acetone-Butanol Fermentation
Xiangdong Zhou; Colorado State University

Modeling of Ensiling Fermentation of Sweet Sorghum
A. K. Hilaly; Colorado State University