Bioenergy is a well-kept secret, but we plan to change that: bioenergy is a big deal, and
it's everywhere.
Let's face it: our energy landscape is changing.
The mission is to make use of home grown energy sources, create new jobs, and protect our
natural resources.
The Bioenergy Technologies Office at the U.S. Department of Energy is advancing the toward
the goal of American energy independence through the development of the Bioenergy Career Map,
which is designed to be an interactive tool to explore traditional and non-traditional
career pathways in the network of innovative possibilities within the bioeconomy.
The Bioenergy Career Map is helping to meet the needs of a growing bioeconomy workforce
through engaging students and job seekers of all levels to consider the range of careers
that help advance the bioenergy sector.
There are a range of workforce opportunities that are available in the bioenergy industry.
The dedicated individuals that are a part of this industry are driving the mission of
innovation forward through a growing bioeconomy.
Meet some of the individuals:
Alice Havill: Hi, my name is Alice Havill, I am a Senior
Process Engineer at Lanzatech.
You understand the purpose of what you're doing, you see the economic benefits, because
you're bringing jobs to the community, but you see the impact on your own environment.
I think one of the unique aspects of Lanzatech is that we bring a lot of nationalities together,
and we have both men and women doing the variety of jobs that we have available.
What's important to me is to leave the world in a better place for the next generation.
And to be able to use my career as a way of doing that -- it really means a lot.
Bill Belden, Sr: In my particular situation, my sisters and
I, now are owners, the fourth generation owners of our family farm, here in Iowa.
And where my dad used to grow the corn crop, grow the soybean crop, and feed it through
livestock, and send it to town that way.
We're now putting it in a semi, and delivering it straight to a biorefinery.
So, over time, our family operation has made an evolution, or a change, in how we handle
the production that comes off of our farm.
David Maciejewski: For me, one of the most exciting things was
the fact that, being a business manager, my focus has been accounting and other activities
over my career.
The energy field sort of let me explore and do something different within my job.
Ian Rowe: I have a Ph.D. in biochemistry.
I got that from the University of Maryland, and eventually I was able to get a fellowship
which helped me get into the Department of Energy.
Specifically, bioenergy appeals to me because as a scientist, I think this is going to be
a big field in the future.
Jennifer Dunn: Energy is one of those things that's just
so important and is never going to go away.
So, the more you can learn about energy, if you're interested in a career in the energy
fields, the better.
And as I said, it's just easier than ever to do so.
Clarence Hill III: My name is Clarence Hill III, and I'm originally
from New Orleans, Louisiana.
I was in the Air Force, actually got out of the Air Force in Mountain Home, Idaho, and
received a job out here in Washington State.
Things fell through with the economy, and I found myself without a job.
So when this opportunity came up here at WWCC, I decided to go ahead and join in on the program,
to be a part of the bioenergy plant operations.
Emily Heaton: My job as the first person hired to work specifically
on dedicated energy crops in agronomy, is to figure out how to grow these crops, so
that when farmers are ready, we have some... some methods.
We need more jobs in this part of the country.
This takes more jobs, and it is done in a way that improves the quality of life for
everyone.
This is just the next face of geology and agriculture, that's all.
Most of my colleagues and friends, that graduated from the same laboratory that I did, work
for a big industry, and they're changing the way those industries think about sustainability,
about integration of agriculture and energy, and about, actually, the workplace in general.
So, you know, you have the power.
Use it.