News

As a leading provider of workforce training and hands-on learning in the United States, the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has published a Workforce Training & Education Report that summarizes various opportunities for students to learn outside of the classroom, as well as NCERC’s programs that train the next generation of leaders in the bioeconomy.

Since opening its doors in 2003, NCERC has housed multiple training programs that provide students pursuing higher education the opportunity to work through hands-on learning opportunities in its facility. These applied experiences range from working in NCERC’s laboratories on different research projects, oftentimes through collaborations with companies in the private sector, to working to maintain and operate large-scale equipment in NCERC’s pre-commercial-scale Pilot Plant. Thousands of students pursuing careers in the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and math) fields, have passed through NCERC’s doors to gain experience before obtaining gainful employment.

“We’re extremely proud of the reputation and impact that NCERC’s training programs have had on students and the bioeconomy workforce for the past several years,” said NCERC Executive Director John Caupert. “Since 2014, 100% of the students who have received training at NCERC have utilized that experience to obtain highly-skilled, well-compensated, gainful employment in the private sector. Regardless of where a student is at on their education pathway, there is an opportunity for them at NCERC.”

Today, NCERC’s workforce training programs include internship opportunities for students pursuing degrees ranging from Certificates of Completion to Bachelor’s Degrees, assistantships for students enrolled in SIUE’s graduate programs, and Visiting Research Fellowships and Postdoctoral Research Fellowships for recent graduates with a STEAM degree. In addition to details about these programs, NCERC’s Workforce Training & Education Report includes testimonials from current NCERC students and staff. 

“Few research institutions have equipment in sizes even close to NCERC’s pilot plant, and I learned a lot about the challenges of scaling up experiments from the lab to become part of an industrial process,” said NCERC intern Ajay Venigalla. “All of the staff have been wonderful mentors and encouraged me to pursue my interests in biology as well as an advanced degree. I am looking forward to graduating with my bachelor’s and putting the skills that I have received from NCERC to use in my field of study."

In May 2022, four student employees who received hands-on training at NCERC will graduate from SIUE and move on to pursue additional educational opportunities or careers in the STEAM fields. A December 2021 graduate who completed their degree at SIUE recently joined NCERC full-time as a Visiting Research Fellow.

“My journey at NCERC has been a great platform for me to get the experience and training I need for the future,” said Visiting Research Fellow Krystin Polhemus. “I started in December 2020 as an intern and gained confidence in laboratory work that could not be obtained solely in a classroom lab setting. I graduated from SIUE in fall 2021 with a bachelor’s in biological sciences – integrative biology. My experience at NCERC set me apart from my fellow STEAM graduates. By the time I graduated, I had a year of industrial laboratory experience under my belt. NCERC’s work environment facilitated learning in the science field and also the social aspect. I was fortunate to extend my time here at NCERC by being hired on as a Visiting Research Fellow. This further benefits my future by allowing me to expand on all of the skills I gained as an intern.”

NCERC’s staff’s expertise plays a critical role in supporting its on-site workforce training programs. Leadership staff, including Director of Research Dr. Yan Zhang, Director of Fermentation Dr. Jie Dong, and Director of Business Development & Client Relations Jackie Hayes, will also contribute to “ALAKA’I”, Applied Life-Science Academy: Knowledge Advancing Industry, a project that establishes a bioeconomy academy to accelerate climate change solutions by developing industry-relevant training for delivery in Hawaii and across the United States. The ALAKA’I is being led by the University of Hawai’i at Hilo and supported through funding from BioMADE, a recently established Manufacturing Innovation Institute. NCERC will contribute to the development of the ALAKA’I curriculum.

Recent activity related to NCERC’s educational resources includes an update to NCERC’s Ethanol Demonstration Kits, which have served as a tool for K-12 teachers, FFA leaders, and community organizations and demonstrate the benefits of agribusiness and bioprocessing. The Demonstration Kits uniquely provide an immersive view of the corn-to-ethanol process, showing learners the inputs and outputs of the process, including the feedstock, fermentation ingredients, co-products, and the finished product. Kits are available for order on NCERC’s website.

To learn more about NCERC’s Workforce Training and Education Programs, visit EthanolResearch.com. 

About NCERC

The NCERC at SIUE is a nationally recognized research center dedicated to the development and commercialization of biotechnologies. Their unique research laboratories house bench- to demonstration-scale bioreactors and pretreatment and downstream processing equipment, making it the perfect partner to companies in the biotechnology industry. Through their contractual research services, NCERC has played an instrumental role in commercializing more than eighty products that are now used in the commercial marketplace. In addition to its research and development services, NCERC leverages its experienced staff and unique facility to provide a variety of workforce training and education initiatives to train the next generation of bioeconomy professionals. For more information, contact Jackie Hayes at jhayes@ethanolresearch.com, or visit www.EthanolResearch.com.

Photos: NCERC leadership team (L-R) Director of Research Yanhong Zhang, PhD, Executive Director John Caupert, and Director of Business Development and Client Relations Jackie Hayes. 

NCERC staff members Blas Quiroga and Lilia Ban work in the Fermentation Suite using NCERC’s 30L bioreactor.