Outreach Collaboration
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI) has taken a novel approach to bioenergy education by engaging 4th-8th grade students using CBI developed lesson plans in biobased energy production and utilization. CBI is currently working with Eco-Connections in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to refine, develop and test a Next Generation Science Standards curricula to match evolving CBI goals. The lessons include basic concepts such as the lignocellulosic biomass as a substrate for the production of fuels, chemicals, and materials, genetically modified organisms as well as technical and economic obstacles to an emerging biobased economy.
The CBI/Eco-Connections partnership utilizes a novel hub-and-spoke technique by working through regional science centers to gain a better understanding of local needs as well as maximize a direct, hands-on approach. A series of Science Night, in-class, and distance learning programs are offered to students and the general public through local schools, museums, and community centers. We have worked with 20 centers in 15 states (UT, ID, MT, NM, KS, OR, WA, GA, TN, AL, TX, MI, IL, FL, and OK), as well as a new CBI Bioenergy Program at three institutions in WA and CO. During FY25, we reached over 19,000 people for a 15-year total of 450,159 students, parents, and teachers through a hands-on “Green Town” and distance learning activities. The website (https://www.learnbioenergy.org/) had 9,230 users participating in 13,765 digital sessions in FY25 and has now cumulatively reached over 80,000 users participating in over 130,000 digital sessions.
The Eco-Connections websites are linked below:
Contacts:
Dr. Melissa Cregger
CBI, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(865) 241-3776
Dr. Wayne Robinson
Eco-Connections, Engagement Coordinator
(423) 290-4641
Industrial Interactions
CBI has established an industrial advisory board to help accelerate research and development across the bioenergy supply chain as well as assist in moving innovations into commercialization. The program is open to industry, academia, non-profits, and individuals. As an official collaborator you will receive or participate:
- An invitation to participate in the Annual Collaborator Meeting (subject to signing an NDA)
- Notification of publications resulting from CBI research as well as news and highlights
- Ground-truthing CBI scientific and strategic direction and activities
- Visibility and recognition as a CBI Collaborator
- Prompt, non-confidential technology announcements concerning CBI inventions
- Opportunities for mutual sharing and testing of materials, processes, and fuels
- Interaction with CBI team members including students, post-docs, and PIs.
If you would like to participate in CBI’s industrial advisory board or have any questions, please email Carrie Eckert.