Ethanol in the Classroom
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the Renewable Fuels Foundation (RFF) are partnering with teachers and the National FFA Organization to provide tens of thousands of high school students information about the opportunities available to them in the field of renewable fuels.
“America’s energy future rests squarely in its high school classrooms today,” said Mike Jerke, chairman of the RFF and General Manager of Quad County Corn Processors in Galva, Iowa. “It is these future scientists, engineers and dreamers that will supply both the manpower as well as the brain power necessary to break our addiction to fossil fuels. We are proud to be partnering with the National FFA to make these students aware of the vast opportunities offered by a robust renewable fuels industry.”
The curriculum was designed to provide FFA members with details about the nature of the renewable fuels industry today and focuses on the ethanol production process, the benefits of ethanol production, the interplay between renewable fuels and agriculture, and wide range of other issues. The lessons are available through the Team Ag Ed Learning Center, a website designed to provide agriculture teachers with new and exciting instructional materials, tools and resources.
“Agricultural education and FFA must grow to meet the changing needs of agriculture in an energy-driven economy,” said Will Waidelich, director of the National FFA Educational Programs Division. “These lesson plans and on-line student modules will provide FFA members and agricultural educators tools to help meet this need.”
The RFF is also offering 10 scholarships to cover the cost of the registration fee for the National Ethanol Conference. More information is available here.
2 Comments »
Leon H. Langhauser
WE at Richland Community College,Decatur Il now have a mobile pilot plant and working on a Semi Works plant for Grain and Lignocellulosic ethanol. We feature cutting edge patented fractionation technology provided by Langhauser Associates, Inc. http://www.LanghauserAssociates.com
We offer a one year certificte and a two year Associates Degree that can be transferred to most State Agriculture and Engineering Schools for a batchelor degree. Degree’s are in both Ethanol Operator and Ethnol TEchnician. Leon, Technology Consultant.
Peggy Korth
Interesting that you have a mobile plant…. Mobility of a facility will save tremendous costs in processing farm-scale and community projects. Yet, I am not aware that a mobile distillery is legal in the United States. If this ruling/ regulation has changed, please let us know how when and where such a system is operative so that the rest of us that are doing significant research and development on small and mid-sized systems can offer better service to communities at large. Too often the rules and rule-makers benefit only a select few. At this time of biofuels and renewable energy imperatives, we should be investigating ways to take a system from school to school, or from town to town to process feedstock at levels of 20,000 gallons in a batch. (More or less–most any number can be plugged in here). The point is that regulators are so afraid of lost revenue from beverage processing, that fuel ethanol to support small communities is not available. It should be fine for the high schools to actually make fuel ethanol LEGALLY.
Another roadblock is in bench-testing new innovations. The average community college chemistry class could optimize research beyond grant-supported big budgets with simply working with a variety of feedstocks and/or yeast and/ or enzyme ratios and sub-species. Now that a number of powerful groups have taken the step toward expanded education, the ability to experiment within those educational systems and by interested individuals should also be expanded. Furthermore, the results do not need to be hoarded as a future scheme to limit others from taking discoveries a step further. Proprietary information is fine up to a point. Yet distilling is distilling is distilling. Hopefully, the new educational process will also inspire community self-sufficiency–the best homeland defense there is!
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