Item No. 1 of 1

INVESTIGATOR: Mitra, M.; Nagchaudhuri, A.; Marsh, L.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
UNIV OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
PRINCESS ANNE, MARYLAND 21853

BEAT (BIO-ENERGY ACADEMY FOR TEACHERS) THE ENERGY CRISIS AND ENHANCE BLT (BIO-ENERGY LITERACY FOR TEACHERS)

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The primary goal of the proposed program is to expand the familiarity and knowledge of complex topics of bio-energy, feedstock systems, and sustainability for in-service and pre-service teachers in science, technology, agriculture, and mathematics. The program objectives are to: provide a systems-perspective in bio-energy training program to K-12 teachers; 2) develop and provide curricular materials and teaching tools for K-12 teachers for enhancing instruction in the areas of sustainable bio-energy; 3) leverage other ongoing training activities and training tools in bio-energy; and 4) increase the institutional capacity for outreach in applied agricultural and natural sciences with emphasis on bio-energy. By training 10 teachers per year and through systemic outreach and experiential learning, it is anticipated that the students in grades 3-12 will be reached and their perspectives regarding career pathways in the areas of bio-energy will be influenced. Thereby, the program will support the science-based food and agriculture mission of the USDA. The participants at the yearly summer institute will learn and design projects centering on biodiesel through the usage of different oils, building simple photobioreactors for culturing oil-producing microalgae, assessing performance of the biodiesel obtained from various feedstock, and evaluating information from a global perspective to present a picture of the biofuels movement. The trained teachers will work throughout the year to develop standards-based lessons in bio-energy to implement in their classrooms. Through early education, students will be able to apply critical thinking skills in evaluating energy issues and to become a knowledgeable, active citizenry that uses energy responsibly.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives are: 1.To provide a systems-perspective in bio-energy training program to pre-service and K-12 teachers: The overarching vision of the proposed project is to expand the familiarity and knowledge of elementary, middle school, and high school level STEAM teachers and undergraduate pre-service teachers from agriculture, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and technology participating in the program with the complex topics of sustainable bio-energy through a systems perspective. 2. To develop and provide curricular materials and a set of teaching tools for K-12 teachers for enhancing instruction in the areas of sustainable bio-energy: In addition to training STEAM teachers on a systems perspective of bio-energy, the project will also focus on developing and providing workbooks and laboratory tool kits for implementing classroom activities in bioenergy and bio-fuels. 3. To leverage other ongoing training activities and training tools in bio-energy: Another important objective of the program is to build upon the existing strengths and increase the efficiency of the investment in the proposed project by leveraging other already-existing bioenergy educational projects, educational training, and educational product development programs. 4. To increase the institutional capacity of UMES for outreach/extension in applied agricultural and natural sciences and food science education with emphasis on bio-energy: UMES will host a number of outreach activities, for the UMES community, local school teachers, students, parents, and other area businesses to increase community awareness and informal education about bio-fuels and environmental sustainability. The proposed project will engage six pre-service teachers and twenty-four in-service teachers from "STEAM" disciplines during the three-year period of the summer institute. Through hands-on learning activities in classroom, field, and laboratory settings, participants will be sensitized to the critically important issues of the "carbon cycle" and its relevance to "biodiesel" and climate change and the utilization of natural resources and wastes for the generation of bio-products.Through extended internships each year, two pre-service teachers from the STEAM will continue their experiential learning and receive assistance with curricular development related to bio-energy. Survey instruments will be utilized to document and analyze feedback from teachers about the classroom, field, and laboratory components of the institute. Teacher training materials such as workbooks focusing on topics related to biodiesel. As a follow-up, teachers will be utilizing these resources to develop unit and lesson plans and to post on the project website. The articles developed for publication in conference proceedings and archival journals will also be posted on the website. Besides contributing to the workforce development needs in areas of critical importance, the project efforts will enhance awareness of environmentally-friendly practices such as reducing waste, promoting recycling, and advancing the "green initiative" on campus as well as on the lower Eastern Shore and could be a model program nationwide.