More than 300,000 students, teachers, and families across the country have been engaged in learning about what bioenergy can do to reduce carbon emissions and provide good jobs through a collaborative approach to science outreach adopted by the Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

As a Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Center, CBI and its predecessor, the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC), for 15 years have achieved significant scientific breakthroughs for efficient, cost-effective breakdown and conversion of trees and plants into clean biobased fuels and products.

To cultivate awareness and adoption of bioenergy and to pique interest in bioeconomy careers, CBI and BESC created and disseminated curricula, equipment, and other learning tools that have been successful in reaching students, teachers, and families.

The program owes its success in part to its collaboration with the Creative Discovery Museum (CDM) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. CDM spearheads the development of curricula, lessons, and activities. The materials are used at the museum and are also disseminated through a network of regional and national science museums, said CBI Chief Science Officer Brian Davison of ORNL. The “train-the-trainers” approach for museum staff and teachers and the flexibility to tailor offerings to local needs has resulted in a force multiplier for the program, he said.