Algae Research and
Curriculum Collaboration
Educators have an important role to play in responding to critical societal needs. Remarkably, algae have the capacity to powerfully address major global food, fuel and CO2 issues. And there is an urgency to act in a timely fashion. Relevant, dynamic curricula coupled with affordable, appropriate instructional technology, packaged in an educational context and delivered effectively to motivated students could produce a potent algae workforce. We believe that such a workforce deployed strategically, and given sufficient financial support, would, in fact, be capable of mitigating certain seemingly intractable global problems while enhancing the quality of life for many millions of people.
With those thoughts in mind, NAA has participated in the development of a two-semester curriculum program that has been implemented at the community college level. This curriculum is constantly undergoing refinement to keep up with the rapid changes of any emerging industsry, and it is tailored to industry needs. This curriculum is designed to provide students with a broad skill set that will enable him or her to enter into the emergent algae industry with sufficient technical, scientific and economic background to serve successfully in a variety of job roles. The current curriculum is a foundation for hands-on instruction which, with your input and collaboration, can lead to a uniform curriculum with the capacity to dynamically adapt to the industry's changing needs.
President Obama recently said, "Each of us has a part to play in a new future that will benefit all of us. As we recover from this recession, the transition to clean energy has the potential to grow our economy and create millions of jobs -- but only if we accelerate that transition. Only if we seize the moment. And only if we rally together and act as one nation -- workers and entrepreneurs; scientists and citizens; the public and private sectors." It's time to rally together and play the part in this new future!
