KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As part of a strategy to position itself as a leader in the production of biofuel and bioenergy use, the University of Tennessee is partnering with other universities on a bioenergy higher education curriculum.

The curriculum is part of a master’s of science program with six core courses, as well as two courses that will count towards a bachelor of science degree. The program, called Biosucceed, was made possible by a higher education challenge grant from the USDA, and is currently being carried out in partnership with North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T.

The idea behind the program is to develop a workforce that is knowledgeable in the technical aspects of renewable feedstocks. “There are tremendous needs for skilled workers and researchers in this field,” said Dr. Kelly Tiller, director of external relations at the Office of Bioenergy Programs at UT. “This is a good step towards meeting the demand.”

The courses, with titles like “Fundamentals of Biomaterials Science,” will be offered as part of a complete master’s program that can be delivered by any one of the three university partners. It will also be available via distance education. Ultimately, the materials for these classes will be available at no cost to the national biomass community for use by any educational institution across the country.

Tiller cautioned that not all of the courses are available right now at all three universities. Some courses are still in the development phase, and some are being tested. Tiller said they should all be available in another year or so.

The Biosucceed program is just part of a multi-pronged effort to put UT in the forefront of the bioenergy research and production effort. “We have a long history of research in the dedicated energy crops, such as switchgrass,” Tiller said.

The fact that Tennessee is a forage state also helps in this regard, said Patricia Clark McDaniels, a spokeswoman for the UT Institute of Agriculture. Switchgrass, a native plant, may be a natural for the state as a source of biomass for the production of ethanol. It has some natural advantages over grain for production of the fuel, as well.

“You can get more ethanol per acre of switchgrass than corn,” Tiller stated.

Other advantages of switchgrass are that it is a perennial, it is hardy and it sequesters a great deal of carbon. Switchgrass can also be grown on cropland that would not be very productive, otherwise.

UT is also involved in research toward making more productive use of ethanol co- products, such as lignin. Right now, lignin is used for more energy production, but Tiller said it can be used to make carbon fiber, for example, an extremely strong product that’s currently used in the making of automobile panels and many other items.

For more information, visit www. utbioenergy.org and for more about the master’s program, click on the “Biosucceed” icon on the homepage.