[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 28, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING DR. RUIHONG ZHANG

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 28, 2026

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. 
Ruihong Zhang, whom I have named the California 4th District's 2026 
Climate Crisis Champion of the Year for Yolo County, in recognition of 
her leadership in strengthening our community's commitment to a 
sustainable future.
  Born in Inner Mongolia, China, Dr. Zhang graduated from the Inner 
Mongolia Engineering College of China in 1983 with a Bachelor of 
Science. She then went on to pursue her Master of Science in 1986 at 
the Northeast Agricultural University of China. After obtaining her 
degrees, she moved to the United States of America to pursue her Ph.D. 
in Agricultural Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign (UIUC). She then served as a Postdoctoral Research associate 
at UIUC and as an Assistant Professor at Iowa State University. She 
moved to Davis, California in 1995 and joined the University of 
California, Davis, faculty in 1995.
  Dr. Zhang has helped transform the ecological health of Yolo County 
through her research. She led the charge to develop the UC Davis 
Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester (READ), which converts 20 to 50 
tons of waste into renewable energy and biofertilizers every day, 
diverting 20,0000 tons of waste from local landfills each year. This 
technology has been widely recognized across the Bio-Agricultural 
sector for addressing critical environmental and economic challenges. 
READ not only protects our climate by disposing of waste sustainably, 
but it also benefits our economy by providing cheap electricity, fuel, 
and fertilizer. The READ facility received the American Biogas 
Council's Biogas Project of the Year Award in 2015.
  Dr. Zhang is dedicated to educating all, especially those who run our 
government. She has provided policy briefings at both the California 
State Capitol and the U.S. Capitol on sustainable waste management. Her 
work has contributed to the passage of meaningful legislation like the 
Global Warning Solutions Act, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and the 
Short-Lived Climate Pollutant legislation.
  Her work across the Agricultural, Environmental, and Ecological 
sectors has been recognized by countless organizations and groups. Her 
work was listed as one of the ``100 most influential contributions'' 
during the UC Davis Centennial. She was also recognized as a Phenomenal 
Faculty member by UC Davis in 2014, as an Engineer Innovator by UC 
Davis's College of Engineering in 2012, and she received the New 
Holland Young Researcher Award in 2023. She has also been honored with 
a Distinguished Career Award from the Association of Chinese 
Agricultural Biological and Food Engineers, an Achievement Award from 
California Bioresources Alliance, and CleanTech Innovator of the Year 
award from Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Ruihong Zhang, has spearheaded research that has 
diverted thousands of tons of waste from California landfills while 
transforming how we understand our environment. Her contributions have 
made Yolo County and the United States a better place to live. For 
these reasons and more, it is fitting and proper that we recognize her 
today as Yolo County's 2026 Climate Crisis Champion of the Year.

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