Phase VI: Climate Change and Energy: Basic Science, Impacts, and Mitigation

提案标题：第六阶段：气候变化与能源：基础科学、影响与缓解科学倡议研究机构：堪萨斯大学研究中心。该项目涉及两个具有挑战性的问题：全球气候变化的加速影响和对可再生能源的迫切需求。全球气候变化的影响对草原至关重要，因为草原为人类社会提供食物、纤维和环境服务。可再生能源的挑战与第一个挑战密切相关，并对其产生强烈影响。了解这两种相互关联的现象及其后果对于管理自然资源、发展经济、增进人类健康和改善生活质量至关重要。这项提议是一个多机构、多部门的伙伴关系。它连接了堪萨斯州的四所大学：堪萨斯州立大学(KSU)、堪萨斯大学(KU)、威奇托州立大学(WSU)和哈斯克尔印第安人民族大学；两个经济增长组织：堪萨斯科技企业公司(KTEC)和堪萨斯生物科学管理局(KBA)；四家总部位于堪萨斯州的公司：Abengoa BioEnergy、MGP配料、White Energy和NanScale；以及堪萨斯州以外的两家公司：ADM(IL)和NetCrystal(CA)。基础科学工作组描述了四个目标领域。社会科学家将对气候变量和人类变量进行建模。具体目标1涉及气候变量，包括评估人类土地覆盖变化对气候系统的影响。具体目标2涉及农民作出的作物决定所产生的影响。目标1和目标2中提供的信息将引导自然科学家？对一种与气候问题密切相关的农产品的评价，包括生物质及其转化为生物燃料，以及通过光合作用和人造技术转化太阳能的基础科学基础，具体目标3和4。影响工作组将评估气候变化对堪萨斯州农田的影响，包括研究较少的土著农田。将使用生命周期分析来研究如何将生物燃料和太阳能产生的电力结合在一起或加以利用，以实现替代能源的更大平衡。在缓解工作组中，其他两个工作组奠定的基础将为气候和能源问题提供更有效、更下一层次的答案。这项研究的最初重点既与堪萨斯州的经济目标有关，也与该州的科学和技术目标有关，预计这些研究的产出和结果将引起全球的关注：与改进的网络基础设施发展有关的气候建模和评估，用于发电的新的光伏设备，以及用于有效利用生物质的改进的工程技术。该项目还将通过培养有抱负的年轻科学家并将他们培养成明天的S科学家和工程师来扩大国家？？S的科技劳动力。作为教育倡议的一部分，代表不足的群体构成了该计划的重要组成部分，包括麦克奈尔计划的贫困学生和路径计划的美洲原住民学生和部落大学教职员工。该项目的一个目标是建立堪萨斯州作为全球气候变化和可再生能源知识和技术方面的领导者和卓越的国际中心。

Proposal Title: Phase VI: Climate Change and Energy: Basic Science, Impacts, and Mitigation Science InitiativeInstitution: University of Kansas Center for Research Inc. The project deals with two challenging problems, the accelerating impacts of global climate change and the pressing need for renewable energy sources. The impact of global climate change is critically important for grasslands, which provide food, fiber, and environmental services to human societies. The challenge of renewable energy relates closely to and strongly impacts the first challenge. Understanding these two interrelated phenomena and their consequences is critical to managing natural resources, growing economies, enhancing human health, and improving the quality of life. This proposal is a multi-institutional, multi-sector partnership. It links four universities in the State of Kansas: Kansas State University (KSU), University of Kansas (KU), Wichita State University (WSU), and Haskell Indian Nations University; two economic growth organizations: Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC) and the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA); four Kansas-based companies: Abengoa Bioenergy, MGP Ingredients, White Energy, and Nanoscale; and two companies outside of Kansas: ADM (IL) and Netcrystals (CA).Intellectual Merit. Four Target areas are described by the Basic Science working group. Social scientists will model climate variables and human variables. Target 1 addressed the climate variables, including evaluating the effect of human land cover change on the climate system. Target 2 addressed the impact emanating from crop decisions made by farmers. Information provided in Targets 1 and 2 leads to the natural scientists? evaluation of an agricultural product closely tied to climate issues, biomass, and its conversion to biofuels, and the basic science fundamentals of solar energy conversion by photosynthesis and manmade technologies, Targets 3 and 4. The Impacts Working Group will assess the impacts of climate changes on farmlands in Kansas, including indigenous farmlands, a less studied area. A life cycle analysis will be used to examine how both biofuels and solar energy-derived electricity can be interfaced or leveraged to achieve a greater balance of alternative energy sources. In the Mitigation Working Group, the foundations laid by the other two Working Groups will provide for more efficient, next-level answers to climate and energy issues.Broader Impacts. The initial focus of the study is pertinent to both the economic as well as the science and technology goals of the State of Kansas, the outputs and outcomes of these studies are expected to be of interest globally: the climate modeling and assessment linked with the improved cyberinfrastructure development, the new photovoltaic devices for generation of electricity, and the improved engineering technology for the efficient utilization of biomass. The project will also broaden the nation?s science and technology workforce by educating young aspiring scientists and by training them to be tomorrow?s scientists and engineers. As part of the education initiatives, underrepresented groups comprise a significant part of the program, including the underprivileged students of the McNair program and the Native American students and tribal college faculty of the Pathways program. One goal of the project is to establish the State of Kansas as a leader and a preeminent international center for knowledge and technology in global climate change and renewable energy.