RCN-SEES: A Research Coordination Network on Pan American Biofuels and Bioenergy Sustainability

1140152（肖纳德）。 该奖项由 NSF 可持续发展科学、工程和教育 (SEES) 活动资助，旨在应对创建可持续世界的挑战。 该项目将在北美洲、中美洲和南美洲建立一个科学和工程研究人员网络，以分享知识并合作研究美洲大规模生物燃料生产的影响。大规模生物燃料和生物能源生产对环境系统和社会条件的潜在影响在很大程度上尚不清楚。然而，尽管缺乏基本的可持续性知识，但目前生物燃料和生物能源生产系统的发展正在迅速发展，这可能会导致人类和自然系统发生巨大变化。这些变化可能是有益的，也可能是有害的，并且可能涉及许多相互关联的问题，例如土地所有权和管理、创造新的就业机会、职业安全、不可预见的运输和后勤挑战、对水的可用性和质量的影响，以及对社会和环境系统的许多其他潜在变化。 该研究人员网络将通过合作研究、教育和推广计划来解决这些重要问题，从而获得与企业、政府、学术界和其他组织的决策者相关的新知识。 泛美生物燃料和生物能源可持续发展研究网络将由来自北美（美国、加拿大和墨西哥）、中美洲和南美洲的大学和其他组织的研究人员组成。主要的生物燃料和生物能源可持续性研究主题将是：土地权，b.水/能源关系问题，c．生物多样性/生态系统 d．能源政策，e.生命周期环境评估，f．食品和其他系统，g。生物地球化学循环，和h．生物质供应运输物流。该 RCN 将有两个主要交付成果； 1. 关于泛美地区生物燃料和生物能源可持续性的研究路线图报告，以及 2. 将在网络内开发并通过互联网传播到网络的生物燃料/生物能源可持续性研究生课程。参加这门研究生课程的学生将对泛美地区不同政治、地理和社会背景下的生物燃料/生物能源系统的一系列可持续性问题有深入的了解。讲座将由来自许多参与机构的内容专家采用主动学习的形式开发和讲授，学生需要分析案例研究并引导课堂讨论。一系列年度研讨会和大型项目中期会议将是实现这些项目成果的主要手段。 RCN将通过基于HubZeroTM平台的综合网络基础设施进行连接，以支持RCN产品的实时传播，实现跨网络的实时协作，并为拟议的RCN的发展提供支持。

1140152 (Shonnard). This award is funded under NSF's Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) activities, which aim to address the challenges of creating a sustainable world. This project will establish a network of science and engineering researchers in North, Central and South America to share knowledge and cooperate on research into the implications of large-scale biofuels production in the Americas. The potential impact of large-scale biofuels and bioenergy production on environmental systems and social conditions is largely unknown. Yet despite this lack of fundamental sustainability knowledge, there currently is a rapid movement toward the development of biofuels and bioenergy production systems that will likely lead to dramatic changes in human and natural systems. These changes may be beneficial or detrimental, and may involve a number of inter-related issues such as land ownership and management, creation of new employment opportunities, occupational safety, unforeseen transportation and logistical challenges, impacts on water availability and quality, and potentially many other changes to social and environmental systems. This network of researchers will tackle these important issues through cooperative research, education, and outreach programs, leading to new knowledge of relevance to decision-makers in business, government, academia, and other organizations. The Pan American Biofuels and Bioenergy Sustainability RCN will consist of researchers at universities and other organizations from North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Central America, and South America. The main biofuels and bioenergy sustainability research themes will be a. land rights, b. water/energy nexus issues, c. biodiversity/ecosystems d. energy policy, e. life cycle environmental assessment, f. food and other systems, g. biogeochemical cycles, and h. biomass supply transportation logistics. This RCN will have two main deliverables; 1. a research roadmap report on sustainability of biofuels and bioenergy in the Pan American region, and 2. a graduate course in sustainability of biofuels/bioenergy to be developed within the network and disseminated to the network through the internet. The students taking this graduate course will emerge with a high-level understanding of a range of sustainability issues for biofuels/bioenergy systems in different political, geographic, and societal contexts in the Pan American region. Lectures will be developed and delivered by content experts from the many participating institutions using an active-learning format where students are required to analyze case studies and lead class room discussions. A series of annual workshops and a major mid-project conference will be the primary means of delivering on these project outcomes. The RCN will be connected through a comprehensive cyber-infrastructure based upon the HubZeroTM platform to support real time dissemination of the RCN products, enable real time collaboration across the network, and provide for the growth of the proposed RCN.