REU Site: Biofuels and Bioproducts Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass

奥本大学的这项为期三年的REU现场项目将面向研究经验有限的四年制院校和社区学院的本科生参与者。REU网站将包括不同的学生群体，包括来自阿拉巴马州和美国东南部的女性和少数族裔。假设为本科生提供研究体验将激发他们对研究的兴趣，并激励参与者在生物燃料和生物产品相关领域寻求更高的学位。这个项目的主要目标是让参与者接触到不同的研究技术、科学假设测试和实验设计、数据收集、分析和展示，在一个吸引人的、跨学科的氛围中培养对生物能源领域的浓厚兴趣。REU的参与者将与教师导师配对，在实验室进行专注于将生物质转化为生物燃料和生物产品的研究。学生还将参加研究伦理、传播科学、简历建设、研究生申请流程、研究生生活、GRE准备、专利和商业化、专业礼仪培训、团队合作等主题的研讨会。学生将有机会参观当地参与生物能源活动的公司，并将参加生物能源专家的讲座。REU参与者将与其他REU参与者一起住在奥本的一个宿舍里，这将有助于他们与同行互动，并分享他们在各种研究项目中的经验。每周将组织社交活动，在更宽松的环境中促进学生与学生和教职员工与学生的互动。来自木质纤维生物质的生物燃料和生物制品已成为减少该国对外国石油依赖的一种有希望的替代方案。在为期三年的时间里，来自不同社会和教育背景的30名本科生，主要来自美国东南部历史悠久的黑人学院和大学(HBCU)，将参加这个REU现场项目。预计REU参与者不仅将直接受益于该项目，还将充当非正式大使，激励他们的兄弟姐妹和朋友追求更高的工程和科学学位。该项目还将有助于利用奥本大学在生物能源方面的资源和专业知识来培养本科生的研究能力。此外，该计划将通过本科生研究指导经验促进教师发展。

This three year REU Site program at Auburn University will target undergraduate participants from four-year institutions and community colleges where research experience is limited. The REU site will include a diverse group of students including females and minorities from Alabama and the southeastern U.S. It is hypothesized that providing a research experience for undergraduates will excite them about research, and motivate participants to seek higher degrees in fields related to biofuels and bioproducts. The primary objective of this project is to expose participants to different research techniques, scientific hypotheses testing and experimental design, data collection, analysis, and presentation in an engaging, interdisciplinary atmosphere that fosters a strong interest in bioenergy field. REU participants will be paired with faculty mentors to work in laboratories on research focused on converting biomass to biofuels and bioproducts. Students will also participate in seminars focused on topics such as research ethics, communicating science, resume building, the graduate application process, graduate student life, GRE preparation, patents and commercialization, professional etiquette training, team-work, etc. Students will have an opportunity to visit local companies involved in bioenergy activities, and will participate in talks from experts in bioenergy. REU participants will live together in a residence hall with other REU participants at Auburn, and this will help them to interact with peers and share their experiences with various research projects. Weekly social events will be organized to foster student-student and faculty-student interactions in a more relaxed environment. Biofuels and bioproducts from lignocellulosic biomass have emerged as a promising alternative to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oils. Over a three year period thirty undergraduate students from diverse social and education backgrounds, mainly those from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the southeastern U.S., in the field of bioenergy will participate in this REU Site program. It is expected that the REU participants not only will benefit directly from this project, but also that they will act as informal ambassadors to inspire their siblings and friends to pursue higher degrees in engineering and science. This program will also help to utilize Auburn University's resources and expertise in bioenergy for training undergraduates in research. Further, the program will promote faculty development through the undergraduate research mentoring experience.