Proposal Title: EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Plan ?Building Oklahoma?s Leadership Role in Cellulosic Bioenergy?
Institution: Oklahoma State University
Goals: With this Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) grant, Oklahoma EPSCoR will develop a research program on cellulosic biofuels and will bring it to a nationally competitive level. The science theme is a multi-institutional program that adds value to the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center (OBC), a $40 million program to pursue the application of biofuels R&D in cellulosic ethanol production. The RII will also support a robust education outreach program to nurture Oklahoma?s human resource infrastructure. The scientific, diversity, communications and human resource outreach activities proposed here, along with a cyberinfrastructure plan, are closely aligned with Oklahoma?s Strategic Plan for Science and Technology.
Intellectual Merit: The science theme consists of three objectives addressing critical issues in developing the cellulosic bioenergy industry. One objective concentrates on establishing a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of biomass development to improve yield potential while enhancing the tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. The other two objectives are focused on the molecular mechanisms for efficient microbial conversion and new catalytic/thermochemical processes for converting cellulosic biomass to liquid fuels. Proposed RII funding will provide the support to build a critical mass of scientists enabling Oklahoma to compete for large-scale NSF funding in programs of sustainable energy and biotechnology. Through NSF and state support, and the investments in new faculty and staff by the research institutions, Oklahoma plans to reach national prominence in the research area of cellulosic biofuels. This will facilitate efforts to develop major research centers and enhance private sector R&D in the state.
Broader Impact: The PIs propose comprehensive educational and outreach programs, links to economic development, and to initiatives designed to enhance public awareness of the importance of science. K-12 students and teachers will be exposed to cutting-edge science and cyberinfrastructure related to the bioenergy theme through summer technology academies, mobile science vehicles, and teacher training workshops. Undergraduate student research experiences in industry and academia will be supported and talented students will be recruited into biofuels/bioenergy based graduate programs. A state-wide cyberinfrastructure consortium will also be established. The education outreach initiatives embrace the inclusion of women and underrepresented groups and strengthen competitiveness and diversity through collaboration with Oklahoma?s HBCU and tribal college, by facilitating the transition from high school to college, providing culture-attuned counseling support, and promoting enhancement programs to retain students pursuing STEM disciplines.
The scientific research in our NSF RII Track-1 award has centered on biomass feedstock development and its conversion to biofuels and bioenergy. Switchgrass was the primary feedstock, being a perennial native grass that grows abundantly in Oklahoma. It is being intensively studied as a dedicated energy crop because of its high potential yields, drought tolerance, and ability to grow well without heavy chemical use. The basic research involving switchgrass was to understand the genetics of the plant. Researchers in our program have developed the largest genetic library on switchgrass in the world. Through these studies, researchers have been able to make genetic changes to switchgrass which produces more biomass through increasing the number of stems (known as tillers), larger grass blades, and greater resistance to a common plant problem known as rust disease. Perennial grasses are also being modified so that small organisms, known as microbes, can break down the strong plant cell walls more easily into sugars and biofuels. Studies of these microbes in an oxygen free atmosphere have shown that some are better at converting switchgrass into sugars whereas others are better at converting these sugars into ethanol, a useful gasoline additive. Other microbes, which have undergone genetic modification through environmental changes, are capable of producing advanced biofuels such as biobutanol. In addition, researchers have synthesized various materials to remove contaminants from the producer gases generated from biomass gasification to improve the commercialization efforts in using these gases to make various biofuels. Finally, another technique has been used in the conversion of biomass from switchgrass into usable biofuels by breaking apart the complex molecules in biomass through rapid heating in the absence of oxygen, producing solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels. Our recent studies have shown that using this method when treated with a compound consisting of 5% ruthenium/titanium oxide catalyst (which increases the reaction rate of the system) results in bio-based oils with greatly improved properties as compared to the non-catalytic process. During the five year period of this $15 million NSF EPSCoR RII award, our researchers have received 108 grant awards resulting in external funding of $89,211,961, nearly a 6 to 1 return on each dollar received through our NSF EPSCoR award. In addition, our researchers have published 125 journal articles in leading publications and presented over 225 talks at both national and international conferences. Outreach activities involved in our NSF EPSCoR RII Award were designed to enhance the understanding of and participation in science, technology and research, while also successfully engaging individuals from underrepresented minority groups in STEM including women, American-Indian, Hispanic and African-American populations. EPSCoR focused efforts in five critical points in the STEM pipeline to contribute to the state's long-term goal to boost the future R&D workforce in Oklahoma: 1) K-12 student development, 2) postsecondary student development, 3) faculty development, 4) entrepreneurship, and 5) public outreach. Within each of these focus areas, special emphasis was placed on raising awareness of the bioenergy research theme. Since 2008 these programs have reached more than 34,000 individuals, including 17,943 K-12 students, 744 K-12 teachers, 8,600 university students, 2,226 university faculty members, and over 700 representatives from business, industry, technology centers, and national and state government. Examples of K-12 outreach include our annual Women in Science Conference. This is a one-day event, held at the Science Museum Oklahoma, allowed students in grades 6 through 12 to engage in hands-on activities, learn about first hand science and technology career opportunities from accomplished professional women, and receive college preparation and scholarship information. On the average, 700 young girls and 85 teachers from 60 schools attended this event each year. We have also worked with the Oklahoma Museum Network to provide science discoveries to 5th graders in rural schools through the Mobile Science Vehicle. This sensory and science filled traveling exhibit allowed students to experience hands-on science activities while their teachers received activity guide notebooks that described age-appropriate science experiments. On average, the Mobile Science Vehicle visited nine schools a year, engaging 22 teachers and 650 students. NSF grants workshops were provided to over 200 faculty, students and administrator attendees to learn about the basics of grant writing and the opportunity to meet one-on-one with program officers from NSF and other federal granting agencies. This resulted in over 59 proposals being awarded resulting in more than $14,000,000 of external funding. Additionally, ten technologies were assessed for possible commercialization or licensing through EPSCoR-sponsored entrepreneurial initiatives. One of the many public outreach activities was achieved through our annual Research Day at the Capitol, which provided a forum for the top undergraduate students in our state to present posters of their research to members of the state legislature.
