BE/MUSES: Understanding Biocomplexity: Developing Methods of Defining Sustainable Uses for Agricultural Products

本MUSES项目旨在培养理解生物基产品全系统可持续性所需的人员、技能和工具。向可持续的原材料基础过渡将是21世纪社会面临的最重要挑战之一。作为这一努力的一部分，预计在未来50年内，化学工业中生物质原料的使用将大幅增加。该项目的一项关键任务是组织和主办一个为期两天的评估生物基产品可持续性的国际讲习班。该小组将为讲习班与会者编写背景材料，其中包括对生物基材料生产的基础技术的调查和对生物基材料评估技术和可持续性指标的文献的调查。利用跨学科研究团队的专业知识、文献和共识研讨会的成果，该团队将开发一个框架，用于评估复杂的环境-社会-工业系统，包括生物基材料的生产、使用和报废处理。该团队将在整个项目中与真实教学联盟（ATA）合作，准备适合中学数学和科学课程的教学模块。一个由两名ATA研究员和一名中学数学或科学教师组成的团队将与我们的团队合作开发和评估一个学习模块。该模块将作为未来模块开发计划的模板。还将编制一项将可持续性指标应用于生物基材料生命周期的案例研究，并作为教育资源分发。

0224006 Anex This MUSES project is aimed at developing the people, skills and tools needed for understanding the system-wide sustainability of biobased products. The transition to a sustainable raw material base will be one of the most important challenges facing society in the 21st Century. As part of this endeavor, substantial increases in the use of biomass-derived feedstock in the chemical industry are expected over the next 50 years.A key task of the project is organizing and hosting a two-day international workshop on assessing the sustainability of biobased products. The team will develop background materials for workshop participants that will include a survey of the technologies that underlie biobased material production and a survey of the literature on biobased material assessment techniques and sustainability indicators. Drawing on the expertise of the interdisciplinary research team, the literature, and the output of the consensus workshop, the team will develop a framework for evaluating the complex environmental-social-industrial system comprising biobased material production, use, and end-of-life disposition.The team will be working throughout the project with the Authentic Teaching Alliance (ATA) to prepare a teaching module appropriate for secondary math and science classes. A team of two ATA Fellows and one secondary math or science teacher will partner with our team to develop and evaluate a learning module. This module will serve as a template for planned future module development. A case study applying sustainability indicators to a biobased material life cycle will also be developed and distributed as an education resource.