New activities!
Article on the Summer Bioenergy Institute for Educators
Upcoming Events and Professional Development Opportunities

New activities!

Quantitative Modeling of Biofuels Life Cycles. If you have used our LCA of Biofuels 101, this is a natural extension for the high school and undergraduate level. The activity allows students to compare the net energy life cycle of ethanol production for switchgrass, diverse prairie and corn stover, under different conditions. Using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, students model a range of scenarios, starting with data and assumptions provided in the package. This is a flexible model with many opportunities for modifications depending on the abilities and interests of the students.

Root Depth Model. In this activity, raffia ribbon is used to create a visual representation of the differing root depths in biofuel crops and prairie plants. The wall hanging can be used to promote discussion about plants' ability to sequester carbon and contribute to soil carbon.

Article on the Summer Bioenergy Institute for Educators

The Bioenergy Institute for Educators was a great success! Twelve amazing teachers from the Midwest and Pennsylvania spent two weeks with us and learned about the process of creating biofuels, techniques for evaluating sustainability of those fuels, and developed lesson plans for their classroom. Click here to read more about the program and see a slide show.

Upcoming Events and Professional Development Opportunities

Other events:  For details on the events below, please visit our website calendar.

September 8—KBS Agricultural Research Field Day, Hickory Corners, MI
October 2—NAAEE, North American Association of Environmental Education, Buffalo, NY
October 14—Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative Summit, Madison, WI
October 29—NSTA, National Science Teacher Association Regional Conference, Kansas City, MO
November 11—NSTA, National Science Teacher Association Regional Conference, Baltimore, MD

We encourage you to visit our website at least once a month to look for new materials we have posted. 
http://www.glbrc.org/education/

Feel free to contact us with questions or feedback at education@glbrc.wisc.edu or call 608-890-2828.  If you know others who would like to be added to this list, please send us their contact information including name, e-mail address, institutional affiliation, city, state and day-time phone number.

GLBRC is supported by the Department of Energy and DOE Bioenergy Research Centers

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