Lion Science: The Secrets of Cellulose

gantdaily.com
May 23, 2010 at 5:04 AM by Gant Team

UNIVERSITY PARK – Stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is meant to advance scientific research that will make a meaningful difference in the nation’s future, particularly in the area of renewable energy. A perfect example is the Department of Energy’s award of $21 million over five years to Penn State to fund the new Center for Lignocellulose Structure and Formation.

One of 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers established nationwide, Penn State’s center (which will also sponsor collaboration with researchers at North Carolina State and Virginia Tech) is part of a major effort to accelerate the scientific breakthroughs required to create a new 21st century energy economy.

According to co-director Daniel J. Cosgrove, the Penn State Center will use cutting edge approaches and an interdisciplinary team—including physicists, material scientists, computational modelers and engineers—to study the molecular biology of cellulose.

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