Educational Initiatives for a Biobased Economy

White Paper Prepared by the Education and Outreach Subgroup

USDA Multiregional Project S1007 (http://www.egr.msu.edu/bio/srdc/index.html)

Subgroup Chair: Mark Worden, Michigan State University (worden@egr.msu.edu)

Introduction

Several recent federal, industrial, and academic studies have concluded that the U.S. economy of the 21^st century will be biobased (Armstrong, 1999; National Research Council, 2000). During the transition from a petroleum-based economy to a biobased economy, products and processes based on biological raw materials will replace those based on fossil fuels. Biorefineries will use many types of biomass sources and produce a broad range of carbon-based products, including energy fuels, chemicals, oils, biomaterials and many types of materials.

Many technological challenges must be overcome for this vision of a biobased economy to be realized. Key “barrier topics,” identified in the Technology Roadmap for Plant/Crop-Based Renewable Resources 2020 document, fall into four categories: (1) plant science, (2) plant/crop production, (3) processing, and (4) utilization. In many instances, these barrier topics represent complex problems that cut across multiple science and engineering disciplines. To address these problems, skilled scientists and engineers will be required to work in cross-functional teams. A recent National Research Council study concluded that process engineers need to be better trained in the biological sciences, and that biologists need to be trained in process engineering, so that the biologists and engineers could work together effectively to establish the technical infrastructure for developing, manufacturing, and using biobased products (National Research Council, 1999).

The educational infrastructure needed to provide such training is currently available in traditional academic programs, which provide a narrow focus and do not encourage interactions between students from different departments. Innovative, new training programs are needed that minimize barriers and provide a more integrated approach. These programs must train students to communicate effectively, solve problems, and design processes in a multidisciplinary setting.

Proposed Educational Models

Four educational models are proposed below to help meet the training needs of a biobased economy. These models capitalize on the traditional strength of universities in developing effective educational programs and also integrate industrial expertise to ensure relevance. Emphasis is placed on developing educational materials in a format suitable for distance education (e.g., Internet course offerings). In this way, the educational opportunities can be made available to a broad audience, thus maximizing their value.

Model 1: Development of multidisciplinary doctoral training programs. Such programs are needed to produce Ph.D. graduates able to integrate knowledge from a wide range of disciplines, solve complex problems inherent to the biobased industry, and train future employees of the biobased industry. Suitable programs should feature significant coursework requirements from outside the home department. Research projects should involve multidisciplinary collaboration and address research priorities identified by the National Research Council. Priority areas for biology include genetics, physiology, and biochemistry of plants and microbes; protein engineering; and maximization of biomass productivity. Priority areas for engineering include methods to store and process biomass, improved methods to convert biobased materials into higher value products, and downstream processes for product separation and purification.

Involvement of the biobased industry with the training programs is needed to maximize relevance of the programs and aid in student recruitment. Industrial partners can also add value by providing internships and serving on industrial advisory boards and Ph.D. committees.

Model 2: Development of courses having special relevance to the biobased industry. Research findings relevant to the biobased products industry should be quickly disseminated by incorporation into courses. Such courses should focus on priority areas, including utilizing diverse biological materials, improving technologies for processing and production of sustainable energy or other valuable functional molecules, and management of wastes associated with biobased product formation. Examples of relevant technical course topics include

· overview of engineering principles for scientists

· overview of biotechnology principles for engineers

· modeling of biological systems

· bioprocessing and bioseparations

· sensors, monitoring and automation for bioprocesses

· advanced research techniques of relevance to biobased processes

In addition to technical courses, there is also a need for courses on professional skills that are especially relevant to biobased industry. For instance, conventional curricula do not teach students to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams on problems related to bioprocessing. In addition, few faculty and graduate students are trained in methods to develop virtual courses.

Model 3: Research opportunities for undergraduates. Future B.S. level employees of the biobased industry would benefit from a broad educational background and hands-on experience with bioprocess technologies. Traditional undergraduate curricula generally do not provide such knowledge and experience. Thus, additional educational offerings that provide undergraduates with laboratory training relevant to the biobased industries are needed. The NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates provides one such model.

Model 4: Educational outreach to K-12. Educational outreach programs on science and engineering topics relevant to biobased products should be developed for K-12. These programs would stimulate interest in science and engineering among pre-college students, inform the public about the potential benefits of biobased products, and enhance public sentiment of agricultural biotechnology. For example, workshops could teach science teachers how to conduct demonstrations related to molecular biology, bioprocessing, process monitoring, etc. Teachers (and outstanding high school juniors and seniors) could also be recruited to work in university labs over the summer.

Course Delivery Platforms

Virtual courses. Because experts on biobased products are geographically dispersed, a distance-learning platform for new courses is strongly recommended. Internet-compatible courses can train students anywhere. Moreover, virtual courses can be easily co-developed and co-taught by faculty located at different universities. In contrast, conventional lecture courses can only serve a limited audience, and co-teaching by faculty at different universities is often impractical.

The powerful multimedia capabilities of Internet courses allow them to rival or even surpass conventional chalkboard lectures in effectiveness. Current technology allows Internet courses having a broad range of multimedia features to be delivered as streaming multimedia movies. For example, an instructor can develop a lesson using presentation software, and then scroll through the material while explaining it using a headset microphone and annotating it with a writing tablet, mouse and keyboard. Multiple, synchronized windows can be used, so that several types of instructional materials can be used simultaneously, including a movie of the instructor explaining the material, scanned photographs, spreadsheets, computer graphics, and animations. The developed course materials can be also available to the users in asynchronous mode. Advanced pedagogical features can be readily implemented, such as interspersing short presentations with interactive problems.

Conventional courses. When Internet delivery is impractical (e.g., lab-based courses), conventional, on-site course delivery may the best model. However, the technical content of such courses should be disseminated via websites or publications in pedagogical journals.

Organizational Stuctures

Efficient and timely development of educational programs using limited resources will require planning and coordination at both the national and local levels. The following organizational structures are recommended for this purpose.

National Resource Center for Biomass Education. A National Resource Center for Biomass Education (NRCBE) should be established to coordinate development and dissemination of educational programs related to biomass (see Figure 1). Responsibilities of the NRCBE are summarized below:

· identify educational needs of the biobased industry

· serve as liaison with stakeholder organizations (USDA, DOE, universities)

· target and encourage faculty to develop new educational materials in key areas

· help faculty develop educational materials for distance delivery

· serve as a clearinghouse for educational resources related to biomass

· facilitate assessment and improvement of educational programs

· recommend curricular revisions needed in universities

Training Programs and Centers. Center-level educational programs should be developed to assemble the critical masses of faculty, educational resources, and activities necessary for comprehensive educational programs. Because of the connection between research and education, center-level educational activites are expected to be tightly integrated with center-level research programs. The principal educational challenge is to develop a curriculum that will satisfy the needs of all stakeholders and be adopted by the participating academic institutions. Expected activities of these centers are summarized below:

· develop multidisciplinary graduate training programs

· hold conferences/short courses

· foster the integration of science and engineering

Industrial advisory committees. Industrial advisory committees should be developed at the national and local levels to provide guidance in several areas:

· evaluate the industrial relevance of educational programs

· help assess educational programs and their graduates

· provide internship opportunities for students and sabbatical opportunities for faculty

· assist in placement of trainees (e.g., job-placement activities at conferences)

Course-development teams. Development of courses on some topics may require collaborations between experts from different disciplines and/or different geographic locations. Formation of course development teams would facilitate productive collaborations. The teams would carry out the duties summarized below:

· communicate with industry and NRCBE to ensure relevance of course content

· work with NRCBE to disseminate courses to a broad audience

· conduct course assessment and improvement activities

References

Armstrong, R.E. 1999. Biobased products Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization Corporation (AARC). p. 130–131. In: J. Janick (ed.), Perspectives on new crops and new uses. ASHS Press, Alexandria, VA.

Executive Steering Group. (1998). The Technology Roadmap for Plant/Crop-Based Renewable Resources 2020. Research priorities for fulfilling a vision to enhance U.S. economic security through renewable plant/crop-based resource use.

National Research Council, Committee on Biobased Industrial Products, “Biobased Industrial Products: Priorities for Research and Commercialization,” National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., August 3, 1999.