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可以改善环境质量，农村经济和国家安全，只有通过科学家和工程师的跨学科努力，了解所涉及的社会，技术和科学问题的复杂性。这个综合研究生教育和研究培训（IGERT）项目将准备一个新的博士学位的多元化群体有一个全面的生物精炼行业的观点。IGERT研究生学员将组成跨学科的核心团队，涵盖生物精炼的一个方面的技术，农业和社会经济问题。论文项目将与重叠的教师监督委员会成员，定期联席会议，论文章节（S）和出版物进行解决合作，综合研究问题和结果。新的学习机会在课堂上提供，研讨会，讲习班，证书课程和实地经验。这种学习将通过研究导师的机会为学员和本科生相互加深。将与欧洲和巴西的合作伙伴提供国际教育机会。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。作为该计划的结果，关于生物精炼的决定不仅将由技术和/或农业可行性指导，而且还将由对社会的整体影响指导。该IGERT计划的毕业生将为具有高影响力的职业生涯做好独特的准备，并通过他们对生物精炼各个方面的个人欣赏为生物精炼行业做出贡献。IGERT学员将在实地动手收获生物质，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范围内的计划，旨在满足教育美国博士的挑战。具有跨学科背景的科学家和工程师，在所选学科的深厚知识，以及未来职业需求所需的技术，专业和个人技能。该计划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促进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.