REU Site: Summer Academy in Sustainable BioEnergy

该项目围绕可持续能源的主题创建了一个REU站点，该站点将培训未来的科学家和工程师，使他们具备必要的技能和观点，以解决基于生物质的世界未来的一些能源需求。为了实现这一目标，学生们在可持续能源方面进行研究，参加与可持续发展和个人发展相关的研讨会，并完成与可持续能源相关的团队项目。学生必须在项目结束时的研讨会上展示他们的研究，并提供资金在地区或国家会议上展示他们的研究。每年招收9名学生参加为期10周的暑期项目。有针对性的招聘是为了提高REU参与者的多样性。该计划通过为REU参与者提供可持续能源研究所需的科学技能和知识培训，使他们对可持续发展有更广泛的了解，并帮助他们培养成为成功科学家所需的个人技能，从而影响REU参与者。知识价值：REU学生在教师和IGERT导师的指导下进行的研究将推动可持续能源知识的发展。REU的学生研究人员将通过一系列基于热和生化处理的加工技术，为生物质转化为燃料和化学品领域的进步做出贡献。在现有的IGERT中体现的独特的社会科学，经济学和工程学的整合方法大大提高了学生研究人员的影响力。更广泛的影响：这个REU网站提供了丰富的研究经验，专注于参与者的个人和专业发展，与IGERT研究员和教师团队的研究生工作相结合。学生不仅获得了进行可持续能源研究所需的技术能力，而且还意识到与可持续能源相关的社会和政治问题。通过参与一个关于可持续能源的团队项目，学生们学会了寻找外部信息来源，并获得了自我指导学习和原创调查的能力。这个REU网站还通过学院有针对性的个人招聘，提高了来自代表性不足群体的学生在研究和研究生院的参与。

This project creates an REU site around the theme of sustainable energy that will train future scientists and engineers with the skills and perspectives necessary to address some of the world's future energy needs based on biomass. To accomplish this, students perform research in sustainable energy, attend seminars on topics related to sustainability and personal development, and work on a team project related to sustainable energy. Students are required to present their research in a symposium at the end of the program, and are provided funds to present their research at regional or national meetings. Nine students are recruited each year for a 10-week summer program. Targeted recruitment is done to enhance the diversity of the REU participants. The program impacts the REU participants by providing them training in scientific skills and knowledge they need for research in sustainable energy, giving them a sense of the broader picture of sustainability, and helping them develop the personal skills they will need to be successful scientists.Intellectual Merit: The research produced by the REU students under the guidance of their faculty and IGERT fellow mentors will advance the state of knowledge in sustainable energy. REU student researchers will contribute to advances in the areas of conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals with an array of processing technologies based on thermal and biochemical processing. The unique integrated approach uniting social sciences, economics, and engineering as embodied in the existing IGERT greatly enhances the impact of the student researchers.Broader Impacts: This REU site provides a rich research experience focused on the personal and professional development of the participants integrated with the graduate work by teams of IGERT fellows and Faculty. Students gain not only the technical abilities required to conduct research in sustainable energy, but also become aware of the social and political issues associated with sustainable energy. By being involved in a team project on sustainable energy, students learn to seek outside sources of information and gain an increased capacity for self directed learning and original investigation. This REU site also enhances the participation of students from underrepresented groups in research and in graduate school through targeted personal recruiting by Faculty.