Skip to main content
Presentation
The biomass bandwagon: three ideas for engineering and technology programs to get onboard
2008 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition (2008)
  • Kurt A. Rosentrater, United States Department of Agriculture
  • Jerry Visser, South Dakota State University
Abstract

As society demands more energy and material goods, engineers and technologists will be relied upon to design and implement systems to produce and deliver these. There is growing interest in using renewable resources to produce fuels, chemicals, and finished products to meet these increasing needs. Additionally, popularity is gaining, both in research as well as industry, in developing and commercializing biobased products. Within this arena, there are tremendous opportunities for teaching innovations as well. To date, very limited discussions at ASEE regarding these potentials have occurred. The goal of this paper is to discuss possibilities for augmenting engineering and technology curricula by incorporating various concepts from biomass processing and utilization. We will discuss three specific topics that are germane to the fields of engineering and technology, and could easily be infused into existing coursework. These include quality control, engineering economics, and biocomposite manufacturing. Because the role of the instructor is to utilize advances in research to bolster the classroom, and because the interest and actual utilization of biomass is currently burgeoning, incorporating these topics could provide a tremendous boost in student interest in coursework, as well as bolster the workforce who will be working in the emerging bioeconomy.

Publication Date
June 23, 2008
Comments
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Citation Information
Kurt A. Rosentrater and Jerry Visser. "The biomass bandwagon: three ideas for engineering and technology programs to get onboard" 2008 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition (2008)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kurt_rosentrater/209/