Education About Us and Outreach Established by the Department of Energy in 2007, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) is at the forefront of bioenergy research innovation. As part of the Wisconsin Energy Institute, our Center fosters collaboration among research experts in fields spanning the biological and physical sciences and cultivates the seeds of new technologies that will revolutionize advanced biofuels.
Designing Sustainable Biofuels Landscapes We are committed to providing renewable fuel technologies that will enable a costeffective and environmentally conscious biofuels industry to thrive. Our experts are guided by the principle of sustainability — from examining greenhouse gas emissions to producer adoption of various biofuel feedstocks. We gather the fundamental data required to understand these relationships, and use the data to build robust models that will enable stakeholders to predict outcomes and make decisions about particular biofuels scenarios.
Harnessing the Power of Plants By burning fossil fuels to power our homes and vehicles, we are living on the energy that arrived on Earth many millions of years ago. To create a sustainable energy economy, we need to learn to live on the energy that arrives on Earth today. Producing renewable fuels from non-food crops is one way to begin to harness that energy. Our researchers are assembling a clearer picture of cell wall components, developing energy-rich plant oils for use as biodiesel and exploring ways to increase bioenergy crop yields — all knowledge that will be instrumental in optimizing plant biomass for use as renewable fuel.
Exploring Biological and Chemical Routes to Biofuels In our biological fuel production pipeline, we connect expertise in bioinformatics, gene cloning, enzyme production and pretreatment analysis. This integrated approach allows us to quickly evaluate the effectiveness of newly identified enzymes on the overall efficiency of an enzyme cocktail used to deconstruct biomass. Our experts are also examining both biological and chemical approaches to fuel production, including fermentation of biomass-derived sugars and direct chemical synthesis of fuels from biomass. By exploring biological and chemical pathways in parallel, we are working to create a suite of technology options for converting cellulosic biomass into advanced fuels.
Bioenergy Research Centers We are one of three DOE Bioenergy Research Centers. Advances resulting from these DOE centers will provide basic research and fundamental discoveries for realizing cost-effective and commercially viable biofuels technologies. Our Research Portfolio: • Plants • Deconstruction • Conversion • Sustainability twitter.com/ glbioenergy facebook.com/ glbioenergy
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Leveraging Genome-Enabled Technologies Our scientists and engineers are applying the latest genomic tools to explore the ecology, genetics and biochemistry of biofuel-relevant organisms. Through our partnership with the DOE Joint Genome Institute, we can rapidly generate data addressing issues from the intricacies of plant cell wall structure to the population dynamics among microorganisms in agricultural fields. These powerful genomic technologies add speed, breadth and depth to the Center’s research portfolio.
Transitioning Basic Research into New Biofuels Technologies
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By establishing ongoing relationships with industry leaders and private sector partners, we are well positioned to translate our research findings into revolutionary technologies for the biofuels industry.
Training Tomorrow’s Research Leaders and Science Educators
GLBRC.org/education
Designed to broaden the understanding of current issues in bioenergy, our Education and Outreach program emphasizes critical thinking, quantitative reasoning and systems-based logic. In both formal and informal education settings, we present contemporary research to the public, students and educators in an interesting, accessible way. By bringing undergraduates into GLBRC labs for real-world research training, and by designing classroom activities that are connected to cutting-edge research, our programs are giving students and educators new ways to engage in scientific research.
Our Members
Our Center is led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with Michigan State University as the major partner. Additional scientific partners are DOE National Laboratories, other universities and a biotechnology company. W W W.GL B RC .O RG
Education Education and Outreach And Outreach Our Mission • Inform a variety of stakeholders about bioenergy research, energy concerns and sustainability issues affecting our planet • Broaden the fundamental understanding of current bioenergy issues for the public, students and educators at the elementary through graduate school levels • Emphasize critical thinking, quantitative reasoning and systems-based logic • Present concepts from Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) labs in an accessible, interesting way
Training Bioenergy-Savvy Educators Through various programs, we connect professional educators with the knowledge and tools they need to engage students in the fundamental concepts of bioenergy. Grounded by research on scientific, environmental and energy literacy, our programs give educators the opportunity to learn firsthand about the latest bioenergy research, explore inquiry-based classroom activities and partner with our researchers to design and implement lab and classroom activities. Our Research Experience for Teachers (RET) and Bioenergy Institute for Educators programs provide educators with GLBRC resources to create contemporary activities that can be explored within formal classroom settings. GLBRC researcher Natalia DeLeon and RET participant Jeanine Gelhaus cover corn silks to control pollination at the West Madison Agricultural Research Station. Photo by Matthew Wisniewski.
Connecting Undergraduates with Cutting Edge Research Experiences Students who participate in our Research Experience for Undergraduates programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan State University and the Kellogg Biological Station acquire hands-on experience with contemporary bioenergy research. These undergraduate programs target students who might not otherwise have the chance to participate in intensive research programs as well as minority, low-income and first-generation college students. GLBRC developed an introductory course focused on bioenergy, providing students with the chance to explore a range of topics including sustainability, biofuel production and considerations that are driving interest in new bioenergy technologies. Students in the course interact with experts in the field and gain a deeper understanding of contemporary science topics.
Beyond the Classroom In addition to our programs in formal education settings, we work to broaden the understanding of current issues and future opportunities in bioenergy for the public. Our education staff members have reached thousands of stakeholders through presentations at state and national educator conferences, outreach events and a diversity of professional organizations and community interest groups. GLBRC scientists frequently join Wisconsin Public Radio’s Larry Meiller on the air to provide scientific updates on our research and answer questions about bioenergy. The Center organizes and sponsors a monthly seminar series that fosters interaction among bioenergy experts, faculty, staff and students.
Educational Resources For classroom-ready activities and programs tailored for middle school, high school and college-levels, view our Education page at GLBRC.org/education.
Topic Areas Include: • • • • •
Fermentation and bioprospecting activities Life-cycle assessment of biofuels Field investigations Basic bioenergy definitions and statistics Videos from our experts
Education & Outreach Contacts John Greenler Education & Outreach Director jgreenler@glbrc.wisc.edu 608-890-2444
Leith Nye Education & Outreach Specialist lnye@glbrc.wisc.edu 608-263-0809
GLBRC.org/education twitter.com/glbioenergy facebook.com/glbioenergy
Steve Slater, GLBRC science programs manager, discusses bioenergy on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Larry Meiller Show. Photo by John Greenler.
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Education Industry Engagement and Outreach Basic and Relevant Research CH2OH O OH OH
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As a DOE Bioenergy Research Center, we are positioned to make key discoveries and major advances that will lead to breakthrough technologies for eventual largescale conversion of biomass into fuels. Our purpose for engaging with industry and other private sector partners is two-fold: • To inform the Center’s basic research and ensure fundamental discoveries are relevant to industry needs • To accelerate the pace and improve the ratio at which GLBRC-developed technologies and fundamental discoveries are licensed for industrial biofuel production By establishing ongoing relationships with industry and other private sector partners, our Center will be better poised to generate fundamental scientific discoveries that will lead to commercial biofuel production from cellulosic biomass.
Industry Engagement Program Goals Establish a Clear Understanding of Industry Needs Give priority to discoveries, specialized collaborations and advances that will successfully address private sector needs. Encourage Industry Partners to Engage in GLBRC Research Offer access to GLBRC resources, talents and assets, and assist partners with building internal research capacity and competency. Integrate into the Larger Industry-Related Biofuels Community Actively promote industry partnerships and facilitate new and ongoing communications among biofuel research centers and private companies. Create a Seamless Flow from Research to Industry Develop and utilize mechanisms for effectively translating GLBRC research to application testing with private industry.
Technology Transfer and Commercialization By working with partners to manage intellectual property and evaluate the commercial potential of our basic science portfolio, GLBRC ensures that important research is transitioned to practical applications that can benefit the biofuels industry. To provide a single point-of-contact for anyone wishing to license the Center’s technology, a Technology Transfer Working Committee (TTWC) manages the GLBRC Intellectual Property portfolio. The TTWC is chaired by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, one of the nation’s premier Intellectual Property management organizations, and includes representatives from MSU Technologies at Michigan State University and their counterparts in technology transfer groups at the other member institutions. Combined, the TTWC supports the Center’s researchers to establish intellectual property, patents, and licensing agreements according to terms negotiated with DOE under an intellectual property management plan.
Our Technologies View GLBRC’s Technologies on our website or on the Department of Energy’s Energy Innovation Portal. There you’ll find more information on each technology, including an overview of the invention, its benefits and potential applications. Go to GLBRC.org/technologies to learn more.
We seek to engage the private sector throughout the research process – from basic research to commercialization. Regular and early contact with corporate partners will improve the volume and rate of private sector commercialization of GLBRC discoveries. Industry Engagement Contact Dan Lauffer dlauffer@glbrc.wisc.edu
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GLBRC.org/industry
Education In The Media and Outreach
April 4, 2013 Energy.gov Steven Chu, former Secretary of Energy
“As Director of the Berkeley Lab, I had the opportunity to be ‘present at the creation’ of these Centers, and I have watched them develop year after year from success to success. These Centers incorporate some of the best thinking we have about effective management of research—dating back to the era of Bell Labs and America’s great industrial laboratories—and serve as a model for what federal support of research can accomplish if it is smart, proactive and creative.”
April 4, 2013 Biofuels Journal William D. Provine, Dupont
“As the biofuels industry picks up speed, the private sector is counting on federally-funded basic research like the DOE Bioenergy Research Centers to provide new insight that will help us meet the broad challenges of reducing cost and meeting demand for advanced biofuels.”
January 16, 2013 NPR News G. Philip Robertson
“Millions of acres of marginal farmland in the Midwest — land that isn’t in good enough condition to grow crops — could be used to produce liquid fuels made from plant material, according to a study in Nature. And those biofuels could, in theory, provide about 25 percent of the advanced biofuels required by a 2007 federal law.”
“…G. Philip Robertson and colleagues at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station have been looking at plants that don’t require farm fields. “…Robertson and his colleagues surveyed the Midwest acre by acre and identified 27 million acres of marginal farmland where these plants could grow, and where the acreage falls into a compact enough area that someone might want to build a refinery to produce biofuels.”
July 28, 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Bruce Dale
“…Much human wealth and development depend on petroleum consumption. Within (or even without) the context of peak oil, obtaining renewable liquid fuels should be our most pressing renewable energy priority. The only renewable source of high-energy density liquid fuels is biomass or plant matter. By far the largest, and potentially the most sustainable source of renewable liquid fuels is cellulosic (nonfood) plant biomass. Thus, the conversion of cellulosic biomass to liquid fuels is a crucial priority for research, development, and deployment.”
June 19, 2012 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“C5-6 Technologies of Middleton and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center in Madison are celebrating a milestone - the awarding of the first patent from the center’s next-generation biofuels research. The patent covers research into a heat-resistant enzyme that is well suited to break down the sugars contained inside the cells of plants….Phil Brumm, chief scientific officer at C5-6, and his researchers have worked at not only isolating the enzyme but also sequencing its genome to enable it to be produced in the lab. Their goal is to use what they’ve learned to allow the enzyme to be generated for use in large-scale production of biofuels….“The GLBRC is making significant progress in the field of new enzymes,” he said in a statement. “I think that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and that we’ll be seeing more patents in this area at the GLBRC in the next year or two.”
Media Contact
GLBRC.org/news
Margaret Broeren
Communications Director mbroeren@glbrc.wisc.edu 608-890-2168
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Education Contact Us and Outreach Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center University of Wisconsin-Madison Headquarters 1552 University Avenue Madison, WI 53726
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Michigan State University Headquarters 164 Food Safety and Toxicology Building Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824 Phone: 517-884-5272 Fax: 517-884-5273 glbrc@msu.edu
Director
Industry Engagement
Tim Donohue tdonohue@bact.wisc.edu (608) 262-4663
Dan Lauffer dlauffer@glbrc.wisc.edu (608) 890-3828
Science
Communications
Ken Keegstra keegstra@msu.edu (517) 353-2270
Margaret Broeren mbroeren@glbrc.wisc.edu (608) 890-2168
Steve Slater scslater@glbrc.wisc.edu (608) 890-2502
Education & Outreach
Operations
John Greenler jgreenler@glbrc.wisc.edu (608) 890-2444
Dan Lauffer dlauffer@glbrc.wisc.edu (608) 890-3828
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