The SMILE Program @ OSU

For all ages we created a lab activity to focus on a new type of biofuel grown from algae.  In this activity the class will make and grow their own algae as instructed in the video below.  This algae will then be extracted to show students how much oil can be produced from such a small sample. This will allow students to compare this biofuels to others they have seen in the past.

Teachers, we have been dormant for a while so we could create amazing activities for you and your students.  The teacher workshop is just a few weeks away and we wanted to give you a preview of one of the great activities you can use in your classroom.  To start, we found this Bioenergy Farm Game from Great Lakes that would be perfect for a high school classroom.  Students will take the perspective of a bioenergy farmer to learn the benefits and drawbacks of crops, like corn and switchgrass, that can be turned into fuel. This game allows students to see where and how money is made and the effects of their actions on the environment. Check back for more activities that will be presented at the teacher workshop.  See you there!

At the SMILE Teacher’s Workshop we showcased a plethora of great lessons plans, one of which was presented by Danica Hendrickson from Facing The Future.  She was gracious enough to share with us a PowerPoint for high school students that focuses on how we use energy everyday and where that energy comes from. Danica also recommended checking out these websites in conjunction with her lesson plan to see how much waste and energy recycling saves us.  These are great bioenergy ideas to share with your students.

This post contains activities to be done at Family Math and Science Nights with your SMILE clubs. These activities were presented at our Summer Teacher’s Workshop earlier in August. The lesson plans and any other resources for each activity are available on Google Drive. To access the lesson plans, click on the title of each activity. (Note: you do NOT have to have a Google account to access these files.) You are able to download and/or print the files for all of the activities directly from Google Drive, but you must download the file before you can make any personal edits. Please let us know if you have any questions or feedback!

Family Math and Science Night (FMSN) activities are meant to be hands-on, engaging activities for students to do with their families. These particular activities reinforce the information learned in club meetings about Bioenergy, as well as provide a new learning experience for students and their families. Students also have the opportunity to share their knowledge and have a teaching moment with their families and peers. Each activity for FMSN can be easily adapted for use in a SMILE club meeting or to meet the specific needs of each SMILE club. Almost all of the materials are things that can be purchased at a grocery store, which makes these activities easy to prepare and set up for. We hope you and your students find these activities exciting and engaging!

• Biodegradable Plastic: Students learn what bioplastics are and what some of their many applications are. Students will create their own biodegradable plastic using corn-based ingredients.
  

• Bioenergy Research Posters: Students will research, plan, create, and present a poster about a renewable energy source, preferably a form of biofuel or bioenergy. They will have several club meetings to create the poster, then display and present it at FMSN. They will gain new knowledge about renewable energy and energy conservation, and have an opportunity to be creative and inventive as they learn.
  

• Ethanol Production Activity: Students will gain an understanding of how different energy sources may be used to produce ethanol fuel and other biofuels. Students will observe the fermentation process of different types of simple sugars present in common, consumable foodstuffs and use carbon dioxide accumulation to see how much ethanol is made with each type of sugar.
  

This post contains Bioenergy activities for middle and high school that were presented at our Summer Teacher’s Workshop earlier in August. The lesson plans and any other resources for each activity are available on Google Drive. To access the lesson plans, click on the title of each activity. (Note: you do NOT have to have a Google account to access these files.) Please also note that the Fuel Comparison and Generations of Biofuels activities are the same, as both were presented to be used for both middle and high school levels. You are able to download and/or print the files for all of the activities directly from Google Drive, but you must download the file before you can make any personal edits. Please let us know if you have any questions or feedback!

Middle School Activities

The following activities are meant for use in SMILE clubs or classrooms at the middle school level. Each activity includes a comprehensive lesson plan with background information, materials, procedures, and challenge questions for your students. From these activities, we hope your students gain a better understanding of bioenergy and renewable resources, in particular renewable fuels or biofuels. Upon completion of these activities, middle school students should understand that bioenergy technology must be desirable, convenient, and accessible. They should be able to articulate the need for further technology development to challenge traditional energy standards. Through these activities students will also explore benefits to the environment and humans from bioenergy technology and understand that bioenergy pioneering efforts come from unexpected places. These activities will provide interesting, engaging opportunities for your students to learn and grow their understanding of bioenergy.

• Fuel Comparison: Students will be able to understand the positive and negative effects of using fossil fuels and biofuels, why fossil fuels are so prevalent, what are some alternatives to fossil fuels, and what can be done to push these alternatives into market. They will also learn where the energy they use comes from and what kind of energy sources Oregon uses to produce energy.
  

• Generations of Biofuels: Students will learn about the three generations of biofuels, how they are produced, their advantages and disadvantages, and the marketability of each fuel through this discussion-based activity.
  

• Polymer Activity: Students will learn about the use of polysaccharide sugars in the biofuel production process. They will take monomers found in glue and use borax to create a polymer.
  

• Roots and Shoots: Students will design an experiment to measure plant growth rates in the field to gather data to help determine the best crop choice for biofuel production and to explore carbon sequestration.
  

• Soil Investigations: Students will examine three different soil samples and determine the effects of air space on the soil.  

High School Activities

The following activities are meant for use in SMILE clubs at the high school level. Each activity includes a comprehensive lesson plan with background information, materials, procedures, and challenge questions for your students. From these activities, we hope your students gain a better understanding of bioenergy and renewable resources, in particular renewable fuels or biofuels. Upon completion of these activities, high school students should understand that bioenergy technology must be desirable, convenient, and accessible. They should be able to articulate the need for further technology development to challenge traditional energy standards. They will also explore benefits to the environment and humans from bioenergy technology and understand that bioenergy pioneering efforts come from unexpected places. These activities will provide interesting, engaging opportunities for your students to learn and grow their understanding of bioenergy.

• Fuel Comparison: Students will be able to understand the positive and negative effects of using fossil fuels and biofuels, why fossil fuels are so prevalent, what are some alternatives to fossil fuels, and what can be done to push these alternatives into market. They will also learn where the energy they use comes from and what kind of energy sources Oregon uses to produce energy.
  

• Generations of Biofuels: Students will learn about the three generations of biofuels, how they are produced, their advantages and disadvantages, and the marketability of each fuel through this discussion-based activity.
  

• Carbon Footprint Activity: Students will gain an understanding of the effect of their lifestyle choices on their carbon footprint. It will also help them recognize the lifestyle choices available to them that would lower their carbon footprint. Additionally, students will also be asked to critically think whether the available options for lowering their carbon footprint are actions that they are willing to take.
  

• Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs): There are two activities for MFCs — Bacteria Power: Students will explore the phenomenon of electrical production from bacteria by creating a mud bacteria fuel cell and testing the voltages at different time intervals. Battery vs. Fuel Cell – What’s the Difference?: Students will learn what a battery is, how different materials used in the battery influence the effectiveness of the battery, and how to make a battery out of household items. 
  

• Enzymes and Bioenergy: Students will explore enzymes and their use in creation of lignocellulosic biofuels. They will also examine economical and time considerations in new energy efficiency technologies.
  

• Growing Bioenergy: Students will get the opportunity to plant a poplar tree and discuss the uses and growth of poplar trees for bioenergy technologies.