U Of I's Long Credits Miscanthus For Sudden Popularity

By MALIA WOLLAN
July 10, 2007; Page B1

Stephen Long has spent his career studying grass, in particular a sugarcane-like grass called Miscanthus X giganteus. But until this year, the University of Illinois biologist had difficulty getting research grants and could count on one hand the invitations he received annually to make presentations at academic conferences.

Then in February, Mr. Long was one of two plant biologists invited to the White House to brief President Bush on how plants like Miscanthus might begin replacing foreign oil. That same month, energy giant BP PLC announced a $500 million grant to the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to develop fuels made from plant materials. Mr. Long was named acting deputy director of the project, called the Energy Biosciences Institute.

Stephen Long speaks, flanked by Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, right

Now Mr. Long says he gets more academic-conference invitations than he could possibly accept -- more than 50 a year, some from as far away as Australia and Japan. He's also inundated with calls and emails from prospective students interested in studying plants. "When I tell people what I do, they don't think I'm crazy," adds the 56-year-old.

Spurred by high oil prices and concern over greenhouse gases, the push for alternative fuels like plant-based cellulosic ethanol is putting plant biologists at the forefront of energy exploration. Unlike corn-based ethanol, which is made from fermented sugars, cellulosic ethanol is made by breaking down cellulose, the fibrous carbon-based molecules that give plants structure. Plant biologists are crucial to identifying and engineering a high-yield, drought-resistant plant and an efficient, cost-effective method of breaking down plant cellulose into biofuels. Cellulosic ethanol can be made from such plant materials as rice straw, wood chips, switchgrass, poplar trees and Miscanthus.

Wall Street Journal, July 10, 2007