NDSU student delegate Elysia Taniguchi and faculty mentor David Ripplinger, assistant professor of agribusiness and applied economics, attended the first meeting of Cohort 3 of the Consortium for Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Education, known as CABLE. The meeting was held during the BIO World Congress 2019 July 8-12 in Des Moines, Iowa.
CABLE is a nationwide organization of 20 universities focused on training students to pursue leadership positions in bioeconomy-related careers. The Ohio State University leads the program and oversees a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
CABLE was created to develop bioeconomy industry leaders who will be ready to step into bioeconomy-related careers. Those future careers include chemists, engineers and scientists.
Program director Dennis Hall said, “The advanced bioeconomy is critical to a more sustainable future for society, but it’s largely invisible to all but few college students. The ultimate goal is to equip more students with the knowledge and leadership skills necessary for successful bio-based enterprises.”
Taniguchi, who is a senior majoring in economics, and Ripplinger were among more than 50 student delegates, faculty mentors and Leadership Team members who attended the bioeconomy conference in Des Moines.
In coming months, students will work with peers from universities across the country to assess and make recommendations on such issues as green transportation, bioeconomy policy, biofuels and the Billion Ton Study, which is an assessment of biomass in the United States.
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