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Bioeconomy to be subject of 'Virtual Conference' Dec. 1Nebraska The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will participate in a 13-state conference Dec. 1 that will explore the new "bioeconomy" that revolves around agriculturally based solutions to global climate and energy issues. "Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability" will be offered via distance technology, with keynote sessions originating at several different sites, including one hosted by UNL at Mahoney State Park, and being shown live throughout the region. The conference, previously held only on the campus of Iowa State University, is aimed at a variety of audiences, including representatives of state and federal government, university experts and energy industry stakeholders. Nebraskans can attend the conference at the Mahoney park site, where they can watch sessions broadcast from other locations, as well as the UNL-hosted session that will be presented live at Mahoney. John Hay, a UNL Extension educator who specializes in energy and biofuels issues, said the virtual-conference technology will allow attendees from across the Midwest to easily tap into expertise from presenting universities such as UNL. "Issues surrounding the bioeconomy are complex but critical to understand for anyone hoping to survive, and even thrive, in this new energy environment," Hay said. "This conference will offer attendees an excellent one-day primer in what's at stake." The "virtual conference" will feature keynote speaker James E. Lovelock, a world-renowned expert on global environmental science who has called on farmers to convert agricultural residues to biochar for incorporation into the soil as a solution to global climate change. Other morning speakers, originating at Iowa State University and broadcast to the participating sites, will include: Johannes Lehmann, associate professor of soil fertility management and soil biogeochemistry at Cornell University and co-author of "Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology," who will discuss the combined benefit of biochar for carbon sequestration and improved soil fertility; and Matt Liebman, professor of agronomy and Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture at ISU, who will discuss the use of perennial species as biofuels feedstocks at particular locations within agroecosystems to provide important services--including soil, water, and nature conservation--while complementing food and feed production. Concurrent afternoon sessions will be hosted by UNL and Michigan State, Purdue and North Dakota State universities. UNL's sessions, at Mahoney State Park, will focus on life-cycle assessments of greenhouse gas emissions from biofuel systems, including their role in technical issues surrounding standards being set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and by the state of California. The UNL session will include: --Robert Larson, associate director of the Transportation and Climate Division of the Environmental Protection Agency in Ann Arbor, Mich., will discuss potential impacts of life cycle assessment and policies for the biofuel industry. --Shashi Verma, Charles Bessey professor in UNL's School of Natural Resources, will discuss his carbon sequestration research in corn and soybean cropping systems. --Adam Liska, assistant professor in UNL's Department of Biological Systems, will discuss the energy efficiency and net greenhouse gas emissions of various biofuel production systems. --Richard Perrin, Jim Roberts professor of Agricultural Economics at UNL, will discuss the economics of biofuels in replacing fossil fuels and the greenhouse gas emissions in corn-ethanol production. Afternoon sessions at MSU, Purdue and NDSU will focus, respectively, on nontraditional feedstocks, bioenergy economic and policy issues and advances and breakthroughs in biofuels. Cost to participate is $80 in advance, $95 at the door. Complete information about the conference, including registration options, is available at www.bioeconomyconference.org/.
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