No abstract

Women and students of marginalized race/ethnicity continue to be underrepresented in many science and engineering fields, and access to special programs, mentors, and internships may influence awareness, intention, and persistence in STEM fields. This mixed-methods case study investigated the experiences, beliefs, and career intentions of thirteen undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups in the United States as they engaged in a federally funded grant program, “Sustainable Futures”. The program consisted of online courses, workshops, and a summer internship, intended to increase awareness, interest, and diverse participation in bioeconomy-related industries. The expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation theoretical framework guided this investigation of students’ changes in beliefs about bioproducts, bioenergy, the bioeconomy, and their career intentions. Program courses helped students develop skills and knowledge and program internships inspired and reinforced their career directions. Following program activities, students expressed greater intention to pursue bioproduct/bioenergy-related careers and articulated their career intentions with greater specificity. This study provides insight into the viability of focused academic and professional development programs as a practical method to promote students’ awareness, beliefs, and intentions to participate in careers in a sustainable bioeconomy, particularly across diverse populations.

Two survey instruments measuring undergraduate students’ beliefs about bioproducts/bioenergy and related careers were developed and validated in this research study. The Beliefs about Bioproducts/Bioenergy (BABB) and Career Interest in Bioproducts/Bioenergy (CIBB) surveys were administered to undergraduate students enrolled in courses in a natural resources college. BABB (N = 168) and CIBB (N = 203) survey results were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Validity and reliability were demonstrated. The BABB has two related scales, Personal (P) and Societal (S), which can be used together or separately. ANOVA and t-test analyses determined that students with majors closely related to bioproducts/bioenergy held significantly more positive personal and societal beliefs about bioproducts/bioenergy, as well as related career interests. Differences were identified based on gender, but not by race/ethnicity. Measuring student beliefs about bioproducts/bioenergy and interest in related careers may help to gauge trends and changes in beliefs that influence environmentally-related choices and support efforts to prepare a diverse workforce for the bioeconomy. The authors recommend the use of these surveys to measure the impacts of academic and professional development experiences.

This chapter describes an interdisciplinary program between a College of Education and a College of Natural Resources and their partnerships with rural high schools, regional colleges, and bioeconomy industries. The overarching goal of the program was to provide engaging professional development and support for teachers and diverse undergraduate students to prepare and promote diverse students to consider STEM majors and careers related to bioproducts and bioenergy. A team of faculty and graduate students from a Forest Biomaterials department and a Science Education department developed online courses, workshops, and laboratory activities and internship placements for undergraduate students and high school science and CTE teachers. This chapter details the need for the program, its context, online course development, and laboratory activities. For each of the key partners in the program—the faculty and graduate students, the high school teachers, and the undergraduate students—key strategies, lessons learned, and recommendations are shared.

Many students may not be aware that renewable biological materials can be converted into multiple bioproducts and biofuels using a biorefinery process, a more sustainable alternative to conventional crude oil refineries. By using waste from pineapple, a plant material that most students are familiar with, a biorefinery can be modeled to demonstrate the benefits of a circular bioeconomy. Pineapple waste consists of the peel, core, and leaves that are often discarded after the fruit is processed for consumption. These “leftovers” or “residues” are rich sources of sugars and lignocellulosic biomass, which can be converted to value-added bioproducts and biofuel. In this article, the development and implementation of a high school laboratory activity that simulates a pineapple biorefinery is described. It was field tested with an Environmental Science class, in which students converted pineapple leaves into paper, and they fermented the sugars from the core and peel into bioethanol for fuel. Students investigated how different process variables influenced the tensile strength of their paper and the quantity of bioethanol produced. This lab introduces students to the potential of a circular bioeconomy and challenges them to integrate prior chemistry and biology knowledge to generate solutions to real-world sustainability problems. It can be used in chemistry classes to demonstrate stoichiometry, chemical reaction yield, chemical bonds, and the effect of reactant concentration on the rate of product formation.