Assembling Successful Structures Lignin Beads for Sustainability of Food, Energy, and Water Systems

This Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-2 Focused EPSCoR Collaboration (RII Track-2 FEC) award is a collaboration among three institutions in LA and KY -- Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Louisiana State University A&M College, and the University of Kentucky. The research is focused on lignin chemistry - lignin is a class of complex organic polymers found in plants, particularly wood. The project will prepare synthetic lignin and deconstruct synthetic and native lignin into value-added products and functional materials. This fundamental research will provide the foundation for future technologies that would enable sustainable food, energy, and water systems. This multidisciplinary project supports sixteen faculty at early, middle, and advanced career levels, and eighteen graduate and undergraduate students at all three participating institutions. Participants will develop curricular modules for rural high schools on sustainability science topics and implement through the involvement of vocational agriculture teachers and 4-H curricula. Project activities include public outreach to promote awareness of the connection between agriculture and science.