IGERT: From Crops to Commuting: Integrating the Social, Technological, and Agricultural Aspects of Renewable and Sustainable Biorefining (I-STAR)

生物燃料和生物基产品只有通过科学家和工程师的跨学科努力，并认识到所涉及的社会、技术和科学问题的复杂性，才能改善环境质量、农村经济和国家安全。这一综合性研究生教育和研究培训(IGERT)项目将培养一批不同的新博士，让他们对生物精炼行业有一个全面的看法。IGERT研究生实习生将组成跨学科核心团队，涵盖生物精炼的一个方面的技术、农业和社会经济问题。论文项目将通过重叠的教师监督委员会成员、定期联席会议和学位论文章节(S)和出版物进行，以解决合作的、综合的研究问题和成果。在课堂、研讨会、研讨会、证书计划和实地体验中提供新的学习机会。通过研究导师的机会，学员和本科生的这种学习将相互深化。将与欧洲和巴西的合作伙伴一起提供国际教育机会。该项目将产生新的技术和做法，提高生物质转化为燃料和化学品的可持续性。作为这一计划的结果，有关生物精炼的决定不仅将以技术和/或农业可行性为指导，而且还将以对社会的整体影响为指导。这个IGERT项目的毕业生将通过他们个人对生物精炼的不同方面的欣赏，为拥有高影响力的职业生涯做好独特的准备，并为生物精炼行业做出贡献。IGERT受训人员将在实地收获生物质，讨论和推进技术和工程问题，并思考他们的行动对人类和环境的影响。IGERT是一个NSF范围内的项目，旨在应对培养具有跨学科背景、所选学科的深厚知识以及满足未来职业需求所需的技术、专业和个人技能的美国博士科学家和工程师的挑战。该项目旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训新模式，在超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中，催化研究生教育的文化变革。

Biofuels and biobased products can improve environmental quality, rural economies, and national security only through the cross-disciplinary efforts of scientists and engineers with an appreciation for the complexity of the societal, technological, and scientific issues involved. This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) project will prepare a diverse group of new Ph.D.s to have a comprehensive perspective on the biorefining industry. IGERT graduate student trainees will form interdisciplinary core teams encompassing the technological, agricultural, and socioeconomic issues of an aspect of biorefining. Dissertation projects will be conducted with overlapping faculty supervisory committee membership, regular joint meetings, and dissertation chapter(s) and publications addressing the collaborative, integrated research issues and results. New learning opportunities are provided in the classroom, seminars, workshops, certificate programs, and field experiences. This learning will be mutually deepened for trainees and undergraduates through research mentorship opportunities. International education opportunities will be available with partners in Europe and Brazil. This project will result in new technologies and practices that will improve the sustainability of the conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals. As a result of this program, decisions regarding biorefining will be guided not only by technological and/or agricultural feasibility but also by the holistic impact on society. Graduates of this IGERT program will be uniquely prepared to have high-impact careers and to contribute to the biorefining industry through their personal appreciation of the diverse aspects of biorefining. IGERT trainees will have harvested biomass in the field hands-on, discussed and advanced technical and engineering issues, and pondered the impact of their actions on humanity and the environment. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.