IGERT: Integrated Biorefining for Sustainable Production of Fuels and Chemicals

这一综合性研究生教育和研究培训(IGERT)奖项支持奥本大学的跨学科综合研究生教育和研究计划，重点是可再生资源可持续生产燃料和化学品的生物精炼概念。该计划的目的是培养新一代工程师和科学家，以应对这一国家需求领域的科学、技术和社会挑战。智力优势：奥本大学IGERT项目旨在通过先进的生物精炼技术来优化整个纤维到燃料的生命周期，使其能够从各种可再生生物质原料生产燃料和化学品。该项目旨在开发新的热化学和生物化学转化技术，以实现技术上可行、高效以及经济和环境上可持续的燃料和化学品生产战略。更广泛的影响：将生物炼油厂与现有的生物质产业相结合，将通过新的增值产品和更高的资源利用率实现显著的经济增长。这将加强当地和区域经济，创造大量就业机会，同时将通过振兴林产品工业等主要制造业部门来改善国民经济。国家经济将受益于提高对外国原油来源的独立性，从而降低燃料供应对全球政治的敏感度。该项目的毕业生将准备在生物精炼研究中担任领导角色。该项目提供综合教育，包括跨学科课程、专业发展、领导力培训、行业互动机会，以及通过合作研究的体验式全球学习。IGERT是一个NSF范围的项目，旨在应对培养具有跨学科背景、选定学科的深厚知识以及未来职业需求所需的技术、专业和个人技能的美国博士科学家和工程师的挑战。该项目旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训新模式，在超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中，催化研究生教育的文化变革。

This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award supports an integrated, interdisciplinary graduate education and research program at Auburn University focused on biorefining concepts for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals from renewable resources. The purpose of the program is to train a new generation of engineers and scientists to address the scientific, technological and societal challenges in this area of national need. Intellectual Merit: The Auburn University IGERT program aims to optimize the entire fiber to fuel lifecycle by advancing biorefining technologies that enable production of fuels and chemicals from a wide range of renewable biomass feedstocks. This project seeks to develop novel thermochemical and biochemical conversion technologies that will lead to technically viable, efficient as well as economic and environmentally sustainable fuel and chemical production strategies. Broader Impacts: Integrating biorefineries with existing biomass based industries will allow for significant economic growth through new value-added products and higher resource utilization. This will strengthen the local and regional economies and provide significant job creation, while the national economy will be improved by reinvigorating major manufacturing sectors like the forest products industry. The national economy will benefit from increased independence from foreign crude oil sources, making fuel supply less sensitive to global politics. Graduates from this program will be prepared to take on leadership roles in biorefining research. This program provides an integrative education involving interdisciplinary courses, professional development, leadership training, opportunities for industrial interaction, coupled with experiential global learning through collaborative research.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.