Northeast Sun Grant Initiative, Educational resources and opportunities

Education

New York Renewable Fuels Workshops 2009

Please join us. The New York Renewable Fuels Roadmap project (funded by NYSERDA, NY Ag & Markets and NYS DEC) seeks to address these and other questions for New Yorkers: How much biomass (wood, grasses, energy crops) do we have? What factors are important in producing biomass? What new business opportunities do you see in biomass? Download AGENDA and Flyer with meeting times.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR THIS FREE WORKSHOP. (Lunch provided.) Attendance may qualify for planning board training credit. Meeting size is limited so remember to pre-register. VOICE YOUR OPINIONS: If you are not able to attend but would like to fill in a survey, please contact one of the Cornell Cooperative Extension office listed below for more information.

MEETING TIMES IN NEW YORK STATE

Oneida County FEBRUARY 6, 2009 (Friday)

10 am - 1 pm at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Oneida County

Contact: Cindy at Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Oneida

County 121 Second Street Oriskany, New York 13424 Phone: 315.736.3394 Extension 124 clc66@cornell.edu www.cce.cornell.edu/oneida

Chautauqua County FEBRUARY 9, 2009 (Monday)

10 am - 1 pm at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Chautauqua County

Contact: Wendy Sanfilippo, Recycling educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension

3542 Turner Rd. Jamestown, NY 14701 wes33@cornell.edu Chautauqua

County: t.716-664-9502 ext. 221 Cattaraugus County: t.716-938-2487

Washington County FEBRUARY 13, 2009 (Friday)

10 am - 1 pm at the American Legion in Schuylerville American Legion, 6 Clancy St, Schuylerville, NY, off of Burgoyne Ave. Contact: Aaron Gabriel, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Washington County 518-746-2560 adg12@cornell.edu http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/washington

Orange County FEBRUARY 18, 2009 (Wednesday)

10 am - 1 pm Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County Contact: Larry Hulle, Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County 18 Seward Avenue, Suite 300, Middletown, NY 10940 (845) 344-1234 lrh6@cornell.edu www.cce.cornell.edu/orange

Tompkins County MARCH 17, 2009 (Tuesday)

10 am - 1 pm at the Cornell Cooperative Extension - Tompkins county, 615 Willow Street, Ithaca, NY 14850. 607-272-2292, Contact: Guillermo Metz, gm52@cornell.edu

St Lawrence County – MARCH 18, 2009 (Wednesday)

10 am - 1 pm at the Extension Learning Farm, 2043 State Highway 68 Canton, NY 13617, Contact: Brent Buchanan, CCE St. Lawrence County, 315-379-9192 x 231

Steuben/Schuyler/Chemung County MARCH 19, 2009 (Thursday)

10 am - 1 pm Civil Defense Center, Route 54, Bath, NY, Contact: Carl Albers, Cornell Cooperative Extension Steuben County, cwa1@cornell.edu or Brett Chedzoy, Cornell Cooperative Extension Schuyler County, bjc226@cornell.edu, or To register call CCE-Steuben County at 607-664-2300.

Westchester County MARCH 26, 2009 (Thursday)

1:30 pm at the Pace University Energy & Climate Center, Pace University School of Law, 78 North Broadway, White Plains, NY 10603, 914-422-4450, zwojnar@law.pace.edu, www.law.pace.edu/energy/events

Green County MARCH 30, 2009 (Monday)

10 am - 1 pm at the Agroforestry Resource Center in Acra, NY, Contact: Marilyn Wyman, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County, 6055 Route 23, Acra, NY 12405, 518-622-9820. mfw10@cornell.edu

Education

The Biofuels Teaching Game "Biofuels: The Race to the Pump!"

A new board game developed at Cornell University in the Northeast Sun Grant Institute of Excellence at Cornell is designed to teach K-12 students the concepts and steps involved in converting various biological starting materials into biobased transportation fuels - from the farm to the fuel pump. The game also emphasizes the important benefits of research by allowing “quick advances” for players who land on a “Cornell R&D” spot and are advanced more rapidly toward the goal. The biofuel pump at the end of the game states “We all win!” reminding us of the ecological benefits that use of biofuels will bring to the whole planet. Biofuels are a renewable energy form with no net carbon emissions.

The biofuel pump at the end of the game remind players of the ecological benefits that use of biofuels will bring to the whole planet.

The First Presentation: A Huge Success

The game was first presented in public in September 2006 at the WIRED-GE NextFest event (Future of GREEN pavilion) at the Javits Center in New York City, attended by 100,000 people over 4 days. Cornell Research Associate, Stephane Corgie, led a team of Cornell graduate students, Sarah Munro, Marie Donnelly and Linelle Fontenelle at the event. The Cornell team guided students, teachers and families through the steps of the game.

Different aspects of the game appealed to a wide range of ages, from pre-school to adults. Some children returned to the game again and again to try the game using a different biofuel truck. Children were drawn to the game by the miniature trucks –their favorite being the ‘french fry–waste oil truck’. The game was well received and created a great deal of excitement and interest by parents and teachers, many of whom requested copies of the game and even took photos to bring back to their classrooms. Indeed, the game illustrates very broad concepts including sustainability, carbon footprint, life cycle and renewable energies and links them to industrial networks and the global economy. The game board is also a block-diagram that explains more detailed processes to adults and was a useful tool in answering questions and concerns of the general public.

The game was created by members of Professor Larry Walker’s team: Dr. Stephane Corgie, Dr. Corinne Rutzke and Ph.D. Candidate, Sarah Munro.

Download the Game Board (pdf. file size 197 KB)

Download instructions to make the Game Pieces (pdf. file size 110 KB)

Download the Game Rules and Description (pdf. file size 187 KB)

Download the R&D Game Cards (pdf. file size 47 KB)

Help us improve the game!

Your feedback and ideas for improvement on the game is welcomed and encouraged! Also please send us photos of your classroom playing the Biofuels game and your creative versions of the game pieces that we can share on this website!