TSU Schedules BioFuel Technology Workshops for Middle and High School Students, Teachers

Dr. Jason de Koff (center), assistant professor of agronomy and soil sciences at TSU, shares bioenergy research with visitors recently. The College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences will host a series of Biofuel Technology Workshops for middle and high school teachers and students from June 30 through July 3. (courtesy photo)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences (CAHNS) will host a series of Biofuel Technology Workshops for middle and high school teachers and students from June 30 through July 3.

The four-day teachers/adults workshop will help prepare educators to teach about the emerging field of biofuels with a focus on feedstocks, conversion and policy/management through hands-on biofuel conversion, a tour of TSU’s agricultural labs, and informational sessions from the CAHNS’ biofuel specialists.

After completion of the workshop, attendees should have a better understanding of the best resources available for teaching and be better prepared to meet state learning expectations in this area. Lodging and travel accommodations will be paid for by the CAHNS, and all participants will receive a take-home kit to conduct a biofuel lab with up to 30 students. Space is limited.

The workshops for middle and high school students will be held on June 30 and July 2, respectively, and focus on teaching basic lab techniques used in biofuel conversion and growing biomaterials used in this process through hands-on participation, and will also include a leadership development component. All participants will receive a free TSU Biofuels T-shirt.

All workshops will be free to attend, in part to a grant funded by the USDA. To apply or request more information, contact Dr. Ahmad Naseer Aziz at aaziz@tnstate.edu or (615) 963-1595; Dr. Jason de Koff at jdekoff@tnstate.edu or (615) 963-4929; or Dr. Fisseha Tegegne at ftegegne@tnstate.edu or (615) 963-5830.

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Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

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With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.