Achievement

In the Spring 2009 semester, we developed and taught the first of our two new bioenergy courses for the IGERT trainees. The goal of this course, entitled Bioenergy Technology, is to have each student learn about the science and engineering aspects of bioenergy production, from photosynthesis to engines. The course also includes brief coverage of policy and life cycle assessment issues, which will be the focus of the second new course. Coverage of this range of topics at a meaningful level to a group of students from diverse backgrounds is a challenge. In lecture periods, the team of instructors addressed this challenge by providing background reading materials, reviewing key concepts while explaining terminology, identifying important current research topics, and assigning journal articles for discussion. The laboratory component has been an extremely valuable forum for conveying key course concepts. Pre- and post-course assessments will provide feedback for improvement.