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

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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.