Shea Moore-Farrell and Ken Reardon at the bioeconomy conference in San Francisco
Tomorrow’s “bioeconomy” – the economy of making fuels and chemicals from plants and other biomass – needs academics, engineers and other talented professionals in order to succeed. Colorado State University is among a consortium of schools looking to train the next generation of bioeconomy leaders.
Shea Moore-Farrell, a Ph.D. student in cell and molecular biology, is CSU’s student delegate for the Consortium for Advanced Bioeonomy Leadership Education (CABLE). Run out of The Ohio State University and funded by a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the consortium unites several institutions in preparing students for leadership positions in bioeconomy careers. Those future jobs include chemists, engineers and scientists.
Moore-Farrell is among 20 student delegates nationwide, and is aided by CSU faculty mentor Ken Reardon, professor of chemical and biological engineering. Moore-Farrell is spending a year in leadership training that includes one-on-one mentoring with industry leaders, feedback on career preparation and academic training, internship and externship opportunities, and workshop and conference participation.
Among the consortium’s keystone events was an October 2017 conference, where industry professionals within the emerging bioeconomy discussed the latest technologies and trends. Shea-Farrell and Reardon represented CSU at the conference, held in San Francisco.