Des Moines Register
04-23-06
Hunter: Cross-disciplinary approach could give the state an edge
CAROL HUNTER
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
There's nothing like gasoline prices jumping 20 cents a gallon overnight to get
drivers talking about the too-long-ignored subjects of conservation and
alternative fuels.
And with oil futures topping $70 a barrel, don't expect to see cheap gas again
soon.
Nightmarish scenarios are easy to envision: Demand is climbing steeply around
the world. Yet political instability in the Middle East and other regions with the
largest reserves could disrupt supplies at any time.
There is one benefit that could result from sustained high prices, though: Our
nation's blink-of-an-eye attention span might stay focused on developing fuels to
replace oil.
National security and prosperity demand an all-out effort. And Iowa, already the
nation's No. 1 ethanol producer and No. 3 in installed wind-turbine capacity,
could lead the way. Starting today, a series of special reports will explore that
possibility.
Success may depend largely on sustaining Iowa's edge in renewable-fuels
research. One of the critical players will be the Office of Biorenewables
Programs at Iowa State University, an outgrowth of the university's
Bioeconomy Initiative, begun in 2002.
At the time, the state's universities were weathering severe budget cutting. Yet
ISU President Gregory Geoffroy had the vision to begin a handful of crossdisciplinary initiatives designed to foster world-class research, attract significant
outside financial support and strengthen the academic programs involved.
The Office of Biorenewables Programs, headed by professor Robert C.
Brown, now involves 44 affiliated faculty members from 14 academic
departments in five colleges. The office brought in $12.2 million in sponsored
funding in fiscal-year 2005 and $8.7 million to date in fiscal 2006.
To build this new industry, research will be required in everything from agronomy
to materials science to supply-chain logistics. And economists and sociologists
will need to study impacts on rural communities.
Just as in a business, it's not easy to pull together so many people from so many
departments and get them to, indeed, pull together. But when they do, sparks of
creativity and innovation fly.
One of the newer members of the team is Steven Fales, former chair of the
agronomy department and now the office's associate director. Converting
crops into chemicals, fuels and fiber "represents a fantastic opportunity for our
producers, but it needs to be done in a sustainable manner," Fales said. "How
are the producers and the local economy going to reap the rewards of this
emerging bioeconomy?"
Among his main concerns is impact on soil conservation if stover, or corn stalks
and husks, is consumed in energy production. Will farmers who rent land be
tempted to remove too much stover? The biorenewables industry must not
damage Iowa's soil and water, he said.
"The group has a sense of mission," he said. "This is an opportunity for us to
reinvent the industrial revolution and to get it right. Our scientists are very much
aware of the potential burden this could put on our natural resources."
Another key organization will be the Biosciences Alliance of Iowa, coordinated
through the state Department of Economic Development. Similar to the multidisciplinary approach of the ISU initiative, it has a herding-cats mission: bringing
together leaders of the state's universities, government and industry. This broadbased but unified approach may ultimately be what sets Iowa's efforts apart from
those of more well-heeled states.
Iowa brings strengths to this competition that few states can match, starting with
its rich soil and the abundant crops it produces. That led to growth here of seedindustry giants such as Pioneer and Monsanto, whose world-class plant
scientists can team with top-flight colleagues at ISU and the University of Iowa.
The academic and industry experts who have met with the editorial board believe
Iowa can lead the renewable-fuels revolution. But they also want Iowans - and
their elected representatives - to understand the fierce level of competition
nationally and internationally and the urgency of investing in research and
development now.
When the Register asked Brown how long the window of opportunity will be open
for Iowa to compete with other states, he answered: "Is there any doubt that it is
today?"