Achievement

IGERT tribal projects have brought engineering and environmental science trainees and faculty into the field to better understand the integrative ecologic, economic, and societal barriers to bioenergy implementation. These projects with the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes has exposed the team to a broad class of customer needs; with important business development opportunities. IGERT trainees in cohort 3 worked on technology solutions to meet these customer needs, including a patent application on blanket pyrolysis involving 5 trainees. Three of the IGERT trainees have subsequently formed a company called Carbon Cultures in order to address the customer needs. This majority Native American and woman-owned company has students from the College of Environment (Ms. Jenny Knoth), College of Built Environments (Mr. J.D. Tovey III), and College of Engineering (Mr. Kenneth Faires).