WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Purdue University agricultural economist and energy policy analyst has changed his tune on renewable fuels.

“We don’t just talk about ethanol. We talk about biofuels,” said Wally Tyner.

“Ethanol is the product from corn, but you also can produce gasoline and diesel directly from cellulosic feedstocks. And when you bring up the blending wall for ethanol, that means the door may be open wider for processes that will take us directly from corn stover, switchgrass and Miscanthus to biogasoline and biodiesel. We need to be thinking in those terms.”

Tyner and fellow Purdue agricultural economist Steven Wu will discuss biofuels and the future of renewable energy during Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability. The Dec. 1 conference is a collaborative effort between Purdue and sister land-grant universities in 11 other Midwest states.

Purdue Extension and Purdue’s Energy Center at Discovery Park are hosting a conference viewing site in Stewart Center on the university’s West Lafayette campus. The conference also can be viewed online.

The event is geared toward anyone with an interest in biofuels. Conference topics range from advances and breakthroughs in biofuels to biochar, which is the leftover material after cellulose is converted into fuel.

Tyner said there’s still a future for ethanol, but much of the future growth will be in cellulosic biofuels. Cellulose for liquid fuel comes from plant material, including the non-grain parts of corn.

Ethanol growth is restrained by a “blending wall” – the amount of ethanol gasoline companies are permitted by law to blend with petroleum-based fuel. Current federal standards set the amount at 10 percent of gasoline consumption.

No such blending limit exists with cellulosic biofuels, Tyner said. There are other differences between biogasoline and ethanol, he said.

Biogasoline is produced through a refining process and is chemically similar to petroleum-based gasoline, while ethanol is produced by a fermentation process, Tyner said. Biogasoline can be transported through gasoline pipelines; ethanol is corrosive to pipes and must be transported by rail or truck.

However, cellulosic biofuels face three challenges, Tyner said.

“You’ve got market uncertainty, technology uncertainty and government policy uncertainty,” he said.

There are no commercial cellulosic biofuels plants operating in the United States, Tyner said. Getting them built likely will require biofuels companies to enter into new kinds of contracts with the farmers supplying the feedstock. Dedicated energy crops like switchgrass and Miscanthus, a similar grass, produce for 10-15 years. A 50-million-gallon biofuels plant would need a truckload of cellulose every 10 minutes from day one.

“These plants cost $400 million to build, and nobody’s going to sink $400 million into concrete and steel until they’ve got a guaranteed supply of feedstock,” Tyner said. “And getting a guaranteed supply of feedstock means convincing farmers that they are going to be there 10 years from now to take their Miscanthus or switchgrass. The plant has to be convinced that the farmer is going to be there 10 years from now, as well. It’s a whole new ballgame.”

Government subsidy programs for renewable fuels would need to change, as well, for the biofuels industry to take off, Tyner said.

“Right now, everything in the U.S. is on a per-gallon basis. So today, for cellulosic biofuels you get $1.01 per gallon whether you’re producing ethanol or biogasoline,” he said. “Biogasoline has 50 percent more energy than bioethanol, yet it gets the same subsidy. We could consider moving to the kind of system Europe has, where everything is based on energy content. That would level the playing field.”

Wu’s presentation follows Tyner’s. Wu will discuss contracting issues for second generation perennial energy crops.

The conference’s keynote speaker is James Lovelock, a renowned thinker on global environmental science. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu are invited speakers.

The conference runs from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST.

Registration is $75 for those viewing the conference at Stewart Center and $50 for online viewing. Complete registration information is available by visiting the Purdue Conference Division’s upcoming events page at https://www.cec.purdue.edu/ec2k/Upcoming.asp and clicking on the link to Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability. Registration is recommended by Nov. 24.

For a complete conference agenda, visit the conference Web site at http://www.bioeconomyconference.org. Additional information also is available by contacting Chad Martin, Purdue Extension renewable energy specialist, at 765-496-3964, martin95@purdue.edu.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The New York-based Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet Company will celebrate works by contemporary dance visionaries and showcase a wide-ranging spectrum of both American and international repertory Nov. 13 in Purdue Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse.

The 8 p.m. event is presented by Purdue Convocations and includes a pre-show discussion by a member of the Cedar Lake artistic staff, who will talk about the company’s history and the evening’s repertoire. The discussion will take place at 7 p.m. in the Stewart Center Gallery.

Since its founding in 2003, the New York-based Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet Company has distinguished itself through both its talented corps of 16 athletic dancers and its emphasis on acquiring and commissioning new works by the world’s most sought-after emerging choreographers.

Under the artistic direction of Benoit-Swan Pouffer, a celebrated dancer, choreographer and installation artist, Cedar Lake will take audiences on a bold and diverse choreographic journey in a program. The event features works by several distinct and important choreographers, including Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, and Didy Veldman.

Born and raised in Paris, Pouffer joined Cedar Lake as artistic director in 2005. His career began with study at the prestigious Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse, where he performed works by such renowned French choreographers as Claude Brumachon, Daniel Larrieu and Angelin Preljocaj. Pouffer’s distinguished career as a professional dancer includes a seven-year tenure with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, seasons with Philadanco, Donald Byrd/The Group and Complexions. He also has offered outreach programs in South Africa and master classes throughout Europe.

Tickets are $26 for adults and $19 for children 18 years and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students. Tickets are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at 765-494-3933 or 800-914-SHOW. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster outlets. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more can be ordered at 765-496-1977.

Initiated in 1902, Purdue Convocations is among the oldest collegiate professional performing arts presenters in the United States. Each year, Convocations offers the region 30 to 40 performances of widely varying genres: Broadway-style shows, theater, dance, children’s theater, world music, jazz, and chamber music, along with rock, pop, country and comedy attractions. With a vision for connecting artists and audiences in artistic dialogue and for drawing in academic discourse, Purdue Convocations aims to promote frequent exposure to and familiarity with human cultural expression in a multitude of forms and media.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., co-founder, president and CEO of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, will speak Nov. 11 at Purdue University.

His talk, sponsored by Purdue’s Black Cultural Center, begins at 7 p.m. in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of hip-hop artists, entertainment leaders, education advocates, civil rights proponents and youth leaders. Its mission is to harness the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to advocate education and other societal concerns related to the empowerment of youth.

Chavis, a civil rights leader and a longtime advocate of equal opportunity, also is the president of Education Online Services Corp., a company committed to increasing online higher education among Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other academic institutions of higher learning worldwide.

A native of Oxford, N.C., Chavis started his career in 1963 as a statewide youth coordinator in North Carolina for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Later he became director and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and executive director and CEO of the 1.7 million-member United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice. He also was executive director and CEO of the National African American Leadership Summit. In addition, he was the national director and organizer of the Million Man March in 1995.

Chavis has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from University of North Carolina, a master’s in divinity from Duke University and a doctorate in ministry from Howard University. He has authored numerous books and publications.

“We are really excited to have someone of Dr. Chavis’ caliber visit Purdue,” said Renee Thomas, director of the Black Cultural Center. “We feel he ties in very well to the theme of our fall cultural arts series programs, which is Hip-Hop: A Social and Political Message of Black Identity.”

Thomas said the cultural arts series this semester was an opportunity to celebrate the contribution of hip-hop to American culture.

“Since the late 1970s, hip-hop has steadily gained intellectual credibility,” she said. “A unique feature of hip-hop is its ability to transcend cultural, ethnic, racial, generational and geographic boundaries. It bridges the divide between the academy and the real world and inspires a growing body of scholarly discourse.”

Established in 1969, the Black Cultural Center helps Purdue students better understand African-American heritage and enhances cultural diversity on campus. The center is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A quirky, imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of language, Andrew Clements’s “Frindle,” presented by the Griffin Theatre Company, comes to life on the Loeb Playhouse stage of Purdue University’s Stewart Center at 7:00p on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009.

Purdue Convocations will present an imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of language on stage on Oct. 1. Frindle is based on a book about a 10-year-old who decides to loosen things up in a classroom led by a no-nonsense teacher. (Photo courtesy of Brad Simon Organization)

The performance, part of Purdue Convocations’ family series, is recommended for children ages 8 to 12.

Based on the book by author Andrew Clements, the play follows 10-year-old Nick Allen, a creative kid with a lot of ideas; teachers know him as “trouble.” But it looks like his fifth-grade language arts teacher might put an end to his troublemaking days. Everyone knows that Mrs. Granger has X-ray vision, and nobody gets away with anything in her classroom.

When Nick decides to liven things up in Mrs. Granger’s class, he comes up with his greatest plan ever. He invents a new word for a pen: frindle. It doesn’t take long for frindle to take root, and soon the excitement spreads beyond the school and town and unleashes a series of events that rapidly spins out of control. His parents and Mrs. Granger would like Nick to put an end to all this nonsense. But frindle doesn’t belong to Nick anymore. All he can do now is sit back and watch what happens.

“‘Frindle’ is-about discovering the true nature of words, language, thought, community, learning,” says Clements. “It’s also about great teaching and great teachers, and about the life that surges through corridors and classrooms every school day.”

Tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for children 18 years and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students. Tickets are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster outlets. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more can be ordered at (765) 496-1977.

Initiated in 1902, Purdue Convocations is among the oldest collegiate professional performing arts presenters in the United States. Each year, Convocations offers the region 30 to 40 performances of widely varying genres: Broadway-style shows, theater, dance, children’s theater, world music, jazz, and chamber music, along with rock, pop, country and comedy attractions. With a vision for connecting artists and audiences in artistic dialogue and for drawing in academic discourse, Purdue Convocations aims to promote frequent exposure to and familiarity with human cultural expression in a multitude of forms and media.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Bringing their unique mix of Mongolian folk and alternative country music, the Beijing-based band Hanggai, will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, in Purdue Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse.

Hanggai, a folk band comprised of ethnic Mongolians, is captivating the Beijing music scene with its innovative blend of traditional Mongolian music with a contemporary feel.

The event is presented by Purdue Convocations in partnership with the Confucius Institute at Purdue University.

While China’s capital may seem an unlikely place for a Mongolian folk revival, Hanggai (pronounced HAHNG-guy), a folk band comprised of ethnic Mongolians, is captivating Beijing’s music scene with its innovative blend of traditional Mongolian music with a contemporary feel. Led by a singer Ilchi, the former lead singer for the punk band T9, the band members dress like men of the Mongolian steppes and perform on traditional instruments, such as the morin khuur, a horse-head fiddle, and the tobshuur, a two-stringed lute. Their music also features hoomei, an age-old traditional Mongolian throat-singing technique.

Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for children 18 years and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students. Tickets are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at 765-494-3933 or 800-914-SHOW. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster outlets. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more can be ordered at 765-496-1977.

Initiated in 1902, Purdue Convocations is among the oldest collegiate professional performing arts presenters in the United States. Each year, Convocations offers the region 30 to 40 performances of widely varying genres: Broadway-style shows, theater, dance, children’s theater, world music, jazz, and chamber music, along with rock, pop, country and comedy attractions. With a vision for connecting artists and audiences in artistic dialogue and for drawing in academic discourse, Purdue Convocations aims to promote frequent exposure to and familiarity with human cultural expression in a multitude of forms and media.