2011 MSU Biofuels Conference: The Bridge Between Fundamental Research and Generation of Biofuels and Bioproducts, Mississippi State, MS, October 6-7, 2011

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1135429-HernandezThe 2011 MSU Biofuels Conference will be held at the Mississippi State University (MSU) Colvard Union on October 5-7. Presentations will be on the latest achievements in biofuels in terms of research and and current and future opportunities in advancing biofuels. The first day (Wednesday, October 5th) will focus on the education and training of selected middle school science teachers and students in the generation of biofuels from microbial oils. MSU currently has state of the art fermentation facilities that will be used to teach and illustrate the bioprocessing steps involved in microbial oil generation. Furthermore, MSU will have a 1000 L pilot facility for the production of microbial oils. Middle school teachersand students will have the opportunity to connect observations at the laboratory scale with the functioning and operation of the pilot scale facility. Experience indicates that many students begin to get attracted to specific careers at the 7th-8th grade levels. It is the intention to contribute to this process by exposiong selected students to the science and engineering of biofuels, and to highlight the importance of this area to their daily lives. Another major feature will be the connection of several groups of scientists from around the world (Puerto Rico, Germany, and Mexico) via Skype and/or webcast. Their interaction with the audience at MSU will provide useful information on the specific regulatory framework and the science and engineering infrastructure in place in these countries. The conference will provide an excellent environment for students to defend/debate research findings in front of internationally recognized experts in biofuels. A student poster contest will give students the chance, to not only showcase their research projects, but also to network with potential employers for job opportunities in both industry and academia. The conference will highlight two new biofuel pilot facilities. One of the pilot facilities is for the generation of microbial oils using municipal and industrial wastewaters as the growth media, and the other is for production pyrolysis oil using biomass. Both of these renewable oils can be used to produce biofuels (renewable diesel, biodiesel, or BioJetFuel). Tours to demonstrate the operation of these facilities will be included as part of the conference.