Biofuels generated from cellulosic materials are currently undergoing significant research and development, and have the potential to play a key role in future energy portfolios on both a national and global scale.  A critical component of related research that needs to be achieved is a comprehensive analysis of sustainability considerations.  In order for students and the public to engage thoughtfully in these decisions, they must have some understanding of a corresponding set of fundamental ecological principles, including the cycling of carbon and flow of energy through ecosystems. Assessments of student understanding of these topics, however, reveal many consistent misconceptions that hinder students’ ability to comprehend the larger systems involved. A significant focus of our work is on developing 1) further categorization of the range of understandings related to carbon cycles and energy flow, and 2) educational materials (for K-16 settings) that will use biofuels as an entrée to engage learners in fuller and more accurate comprehension of these basic ecological concepts.  Specific ecological content at the base of these materials includes life-cycle assessments and soil carbon dynamics.  The effects of biofuel production on biodiversity and ecosystem services are considered as well.  Associated with the development of these educational materials are research experiences for undergraduates (REUs) and teachers (RETs).
Results/Conclusions

A number of persistent difficulties are seen in assessments of student understanding at a range of levels. A majority of K-12 students, for instance, do not connect the decomposition of plants and animals to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Instead, most view living plants as taking up carbon directly from the soil after decomposers broke it down into small pieces in the soil. In response to this and related patterns, we designed a series of activities to help students better understand the process of decomposition and its connection to cell respiration, a process with which they are more familiar. Similarly, many students do not understand the connection between fossil fuels and ancient organisms, let alone the initial fixation that must have occurred to bring that carbon into organic form. We designed materials that consider entire product life cycles (i.e.- for ethanol) as a way to make broader connections to fundamental biological concepts with which they are more familiar. These materials and teaching techniques help to produce higher levels of content mastery for students who use them.