Bioenergy Research and Education Bridge Program

The Bioenergy Research and Education Bridge Program (BRIDGES) is bioenergy case study-based educational toolkit created by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) as well as education, community, industry, and other government partners.

Intended to be taught in various settings from high school to technical and community colleges to universities courses, the classroom case study materials within the BRIDGES Program are designed to encourage future careers in bioenergy for all students. Depending on the student level, each case study toolkit should take at least 3 classroom hours to complete.

BETO and its partners have developed four sets of student and instructor guides, each focused on topical, authentic case study scenarios in the bioenergy field. Each case study explores solutions for a more secure energy future using bioenergy technologies.

• Farm to Flight: Can Sustainable Aviation Fuels Reduce Emissions? Explore the life cycle analysis of biofuels emissions compared to petroleum fuels.
• Upcycling: Could Discoveries in Chemistry Reduce Plastic Waste? Investigate how chemists find new ways to upcycle plastic that returns value to the economy.
• Regional Feedstocks: Can They Contribute to Energy Independence? Evaluate regional biomass and waste resources for conversion to transportation biofuels.
• Municipal Solid Waste-to-Energy: Traditional Ecology and Economic Resilience. Explore the challenges of transforming municipal solid waste into biofuel and other products.

Materials and Structure

Each case study is comprised of three standard documents, including a student guide, an instructor guide, and an overview fact sheet. Additionally, depending on the case study, students and educators will have access to primary research such as literature and raw data, as well as links to credible online resources for background research including YouTube videos, journal articles, and other scientific reference materials. Each guide is designed to first provide a foundational background and then build on its provided learning materials, leading students towards critical thinking and decision making surrounding the case explored.

Each instructor guide reflects the flow and information from the corresponding student guide while also providing tips for quick start learning, a checklist for any prerequisite knowledge, grading rubrics, additional student research ideas, answer keys, and additional instructions.