Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Twelve bioenergy labs at three universities were created and trialed by students a cumulative 291 times. From the efforts instructional media was created to share via a webpage (https://energy.wisc.edu/education/classroom-materials)which is promoted through both traditional internet searches and also at the 2014 NACTA(NorthAmerican Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture)conference. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The collaborative nature of the project allowed the multiple educators in the bioenergy field to share best teaching practices. Additionally, several part-time undergraduates were utilized to assist in the development of these laboratory protocols. The 1:1 mentoring and unique student perspective the development of the laboratories provides has helped spark a bioenergy interest in these students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Twelve bioenergy labs at three universities were created and trialed by students a cumulative 291 times. From the efforts instructional media was created to share via a webpage (https://energy.wisc.edu/education/classroom-materials)which is promoted through both traditional internet searches and also at the 2014 NACTA(NorthAmerican Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture)conference. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During this project period, twelve low-cost bioenergy labs were developed including: 1. Size reduction 2. Storage/Densification 3. Using GIS tools 4. Combustion 5. Proximate Analysis 6. Biomass Composition 7. Pyrolysis 8. Pre-Treatment & Saccharification 9. Fermentation 10. Distillation 11. Biodiesel 12. Anaerobic Digestion These labs were developed at three Universities in Wisconsin with 291 labs taking place over the project. Direct assessment was used to insure information was being conveyed, but an indirect assessment was also employed to focusing on students' perceptions of the following 7 dimensions: Designing Laboratory Classes & Experimental Investigations, Expectations and Enthusiasm, Lab Pace & Lab Materials, Interest in renewable and sustainable energy, Opportunities for Discussion, Knowledge and Learning, and Connections to other fields. The indirect SLO survey instrument also included the following demographics mentioned in the RFP: gender, first generation college status, and urbanization of permanent residences (i.e., urban, suburban, rural). The general findings of the labs conducted include: Designing Laboratory Classes & Experimental Investigations: Significant agreement among students regarding ability to exercise control over the experiment and perceiving the experiment as an opportunity for discovery Expectations and Enthusiasm: Some perceived ambiguity about the expectations of the labs represented by an insignificant finding ("neither agree nor disagree") regarding knowing the results of the lab before it started, but significant agreement that the complexity of the laboratory was appropriate to the level of the course. Lab Pace & Lab Materials: Students were not confused by the lab materials Interest in renewable and sustainable energy: Prior to the labs there is significant agreement among students that there are no plans to make a career in renewable and sustainable energy; in addition, the labs did not significantly increase interest in renewable and sustainable energy as a career path Opportunities for Discussion: Significant overall agreement that labs encouraged discussion and student-teacher interaction Knowledge and Learning: Significant agreement that the lab made the learning experience more enjoyable and increased understanding of lecture material; in addition, significant agreement that students learned new information about renewable and sustainable energy as a result of the labs. Connections to Other Fields: Overall agreement that the labs helped students understand the links between renewable and sustainable energy and other scientific disciplines, but no significant agreement on an increase in understanding of the economic impacts of renewable and sustainable energies. Specific findings by lab exercise and by demographic (gender, first generation college, urbanization of permanent residence) are given in a report at https://energy.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/Assessment%202015%20Report.pdf Key perceptual differences by demographics were also tabulated with the following results: Key Perceptual Differences by Gender 38% of the assessed students in were female In general (see Table 3 below) female respondents were more positive in their rating of labs with respect to "Connections to other fields," "Designing Laboratory Classes & Experimental Investigations," "Expectations and Enthusiasm," "Knowledge and Learning," and "Opportunities for Discussion" On "Lab Pace & Lab Materials" and "Interest in renewable and sustainable energy" there were no significant differences between males and females. Key Perceptual Differences by First Generation Status 18% of the assessed students were first-generation college The most salient statistical difference between first generation students and non-first generation students was the total lack of first generation students who, prior to taking the course, was planning a career in renewable and sustainable energy; further, there was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the question, "This laboratory exercise has sparked an interest in the field of renewable & sustainable energy." Key Perceptual Differences by Urbanization of Permanent Residence 19% of the assessed students, before coming to college, spent the majority of their life in an urban environment. 43% of the assessed students, before coming to college, spent the majority of their life in a suburban environment. 38% of the assessed students, before coming to college, spent the majority of their life in a rural environment.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
https://energy.wisc.edu/education/classroom-materials
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience was STEM educator interested in teaching bioenergy through a more active class style, using laboratory exercises. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project has allowed10 different undergraduatestudents to be part of the team of developing and troubleshooting the laboratory procedures. These students reviewed and tested the laboratory procedures for all of the labs developed and provided feedback to the principle investigators. This was a unique opportunity for these students because they typically follow a laboratory procedure with the intent of obtaining a set not data, and not necessarily with the intent of providing critical feedback on the procedures themselves. Additionally, the project supported the PI to attend the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture conference where he was able to learn about other new progressive ideas on teaching methodology. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? A website containing 12 bioenergy lab curricula materials was created including overview videos. The site is at https://energy.wisc.edu/education/classroom-materials. Additionally, the materials and website were presented at the 2014North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture conference in Bozeman, MT. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We plan to further refine the laboratories using feedback from our students and the assessment tool created for the project. Additionally, we will further promote the energy materials on the website.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Growing demand for oil, geopolitical concerns, social and environmental pressures necessitate a transition from imported petroleum to renewable liquid fuels, with biofuels planned for a major portion of the nation's future energy. Meeting future biofuels' demand will require a trained workforce able to provide the engineering and scientific workforce to operate existing biorefineries as well as educate future generations of scientists to develop future renewable fuels. Universities, technical and high schools will need to educate workforce in these areas, but since this is a relatively new area, limited teaching resources have been created and made available to instructors. To assist this educational need, twelve bioenergy lab activities were created and providing the resources on-line. The materials were designed to be either used to augment existing classes or as a stand-alone bioenergy lab class. All of the labs were designed to be low cost experimental investigation to maximize the number of students that can participate and their involvement in the activity. The labs consist of: Lab 1. Applying Spatial Information to Biomass Management In this lab investigation, students will become familiar with the Biofuels Atlas, a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) that contains spatial information related to biomass and biofuel production in the United States. Students will use the software to inventory biomass and biofuel resources on local and regional scales to identify areas suitable for biomass and biofuel production. Lab 2. Size Reduction In this lab investigation, students will become familiar with biomass size reduction, an important processing step in biofuel production. Size reduction improves the ease of transportation of biomass and increases the specific surface area to improve its reactivity for biological or chemical conversion. Reduction of particle size is a mechanical process typically consisting of cutting, chopping, or grinding. Because these processes require significant energy input, accurate measurement of particle size is crucial so that over-processing does not occur. Measuring the distribution of particle sizes can be done in a variety of ways. For this lab, a low cost document scanner and public domain software will be used. Lab 3. Densification and Quality of Densified Biomass In this lab investigation, students will become familiar with densification, a process used to increase the density of biomass to facilitate its use as a biofuel. Students will then conduct several measurements to evaluate the quality of densified biomass for use as a fuel. Lab 4. Proximate Analysis of Biomass In this lab investigation, students will become familiar with the basics of proximate analysis of biomass. Proximate analysis is the determination by prescribed methods of moisture, volatile matter, fixed carbon, and ash. All components should sum to 100% of the biomass. The data from this lab investigation can be used in conjunction with chemical analysis labs to give students a complete picture of the chemical makeup of plant material. Lab 5. Biomass Carbohydrate Composition In this lab investigation, students will measure the carbohydrate contents of biomass types as percentages of total mass. Additionally, students will determine the ratio of water soluble to water insoluble carbohydrates. Lab 6. Biomass Pretreatment for Fermentation In this lab investigation, students will perform an acid hydrolysis to convert cellulose from biomass into glucose for fermentation. This process is also known as saccharification. Students will perform steps to dehydrate, hydrolyze, and then neutralize the acid to make a neutral sugar solution. The resulting sugar solution will then be diluted for use in the Fermentation lab. Lab 7. Fermentation In this lab investigation, students will convert simple sugars to ethanol. Experimental and control groups will be established to evaluate the effects of yeast and sugar content on fermentation and ultimate ethanol yield. Lab 8. Distillation of Ethanol In this lab investigation, students will become familiar with the distillation process using a simple distillation column under the context of ethanol purification. A fermentation broth will be created or sampled from a previous lab. The broth will then undergo distillation in a simple distillation column. Students will then analyze the purity of the product in terms of ethanol concentration. Lab 9. Production and Analysis of Biodiesel Derived from Vegetable Oils In this lab investigation, students will use oil derived from seed plants (canola and soy) to synthesize biodiesel fuel. Students may also utilize used cooking oil (canola and soy) for biodiesel conversion. Students will then analyze each fuel for yield, purity (freezing point test), combustibility, and particulate formation (during combustion). Lab 10. Anaerobic Digestion In this lab investigation, students will become familiar with anaerobic digestion of a waste stream. Anaerobic digestion is a method similar to composting where the goal is to produce a stable product that can be utilized for many purposes such as fertilizer. Unlike composting, the gas produced during digestion contains a large portion of methane, which can be harnessed for energy needs. Lab 11. Combustion In this lab investigation, students will employ the methods of calorimetry to approximate the amount of energy contained in a selection of biomass types and other food items. The heat given off from the reaction will be absorbed by water that is suspended above the burning sample. This method indirectly measures the amount of heat given off by combustion through observing the changing temperature of the water. Lab 12. Biomass Pyrolysis In this lab investigation, students will become familiar with pyrolysis, a method to fractionate biomass is split into solid, liquid and gaseous components under the influence of heat only. We have create curricular materials to describe the background of the technology, the set-up of the lab, and a video overview. These materials have been placed into a web-site for easy distribution. The site is at https://energy.wisc.edu/education/classroom-materials Lastly we have conducted assessments using the assessment tool produced specifically for this project. Altough the results vary by lab and demographic (gender, first generation college, urbanization of permanent residence), the general resultsfound from the labs conducted in 2014 include- : - Designing Laboratory Classes & Experimental Investigations: Significant agreement among students regarding ability to exercise control over the experiment and perceiving the experiment as an opportunity for discovery - Expectations and Enthusiasm: Some perceived ambiguity about the expectations of the labs represented by an insignificant finding ("neither agree nor disagree") regarding knowing the results of the lab before it started. - Lab Pace & Lab Materials: Students were not confused by the lab materials. - Interest in renewable and sustainable energy: Prior to the labs there is significant agreement that among students that there are no plans to make a career in renewable and sustainable energy; however, the labs significantly increased interest in renewable and sustainable energy - Opportunities for Discussion: Significant overall agreement that labs encouraged discussion and student-teacher interaction - Knowledge and Learning: Significant agreement that the lab made the learning experience more enjoyable and increased understanding of lecture material; in addition, significant agreement that students learned new information about renewable and sustainable energy as a result of the labs. - Connections to Other Fields: Overall agreement that the labs both helped students understand economic impacts of renewable and sustainable energy and links to other disciplines.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Troy Runge, Eric Singsaas, Tim Zauche, Chris Baxter &
Mark Mailloux; Bioenergy Laboratories for Improving Student
Engagement; Poster 2014?0251 at the 2014 NACTA conference (Bozeman, MT)
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