August 24, 2019
Mizzou Engineering’s Kyle Lang was one of nearly 1,000 attendees at BIO World Congress 2019 this summer. Photo courtesy of Ohio State University.
Mizzou Engineering undergraduate Kyle Lang and faculty mentor Caixia Wan were among the 928 attendees from 34 countries and 42 states who descended on Des Moines, Iowa this summer for BIO World Congress 2019. This unique conference, focusing on the greater bioeconomy, presented the perfect venue for the first meeting of Cohort 3 of the Consortium for Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Education (CABLE).
Lang and Wan were among more than 50 student delegates, faculty mentors and leadership team members who attended the bioeconomy conference in Des Moines.
Now in its third year, CABLE is a nationwide organization of 20 universities focused on training students to pursue leadership positions in bioeconomy-related careers. The Ohio State University leads the program and oversees a $2.8 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA).
CABLE was created to develop bioeconomy industry leaders who will be ready to step into bioeconomy-related careers. Those future careers include chemists, engineers, scientists. Program Director Dennis Hall notes “The advanced bioeconomy is critical to a more sustainable future for society, but it’s largely invisible to all but few college students. The ultimate goal is to equip more students with the knowledge and leadership skills necessary for successful biobased enterprises.”
In the coming months, students will work with their peers from universities all over the country to assess and make recommendations for key bioeconomy-related issues. Delegates have been sorted into Working Groups centered around green transportation, bioconomy policy, biofuels, and the Billion Ton Study, an assessment of biomass in the United States.
As CABLE Student Delegates progress throughout the year, they will continue to have close interaction with and receive support from bioeconomy professionals. CABLE is intent on fostering leadership development within students and aiding them in achieving their career goals.
For more information about CABLE, please visit u.osu.edu/cable