Qteros founder receives "Women to Watch" award

Susan Leschine, founder of biofuel company Qteros (formerly SunEthanol) and a University of Massachusetts, Amherst professor, has received a Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology Women to Watch Award. The award, in its sixth year, honors women who excel in technological innovation, entrepreneurship and community involvement.

Leschine was recognized for her discovery of the Q Microbe in a wetlands area near the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts. The Q Microbe can generate cellulosic ethanol from a variety of plant materials. She was honored along with nine other women at an award ceremony March 12 at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Mass.