Dr. Madhumi Mitra, professor of biological and environmental sciences, and her husband, Dr. Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, professor of engineering, have reached the pinnacle of a project four years in the making. Their textbook, “Practices and Perspectives in Sustainable Bioenergy: A Systems Thinking Approach,” is now available by e-copy and an anxiously awaited hard copy.
What makes the textbook standout, Mitra said, is that it is a contributed volume with each original chapter written by relevant experts in the respective fields of research and teaching in the areas of bioenergy, bioproducts, and sustainability. Diverse contributors include chemists; biologists; mechanical, chemical and agricultural engineers; environmental scientists; physicists; and experts in business. They call such educational institutions as Cornell, Rutgers and West Virginia University home. UMES is represented not only by Mitra and Nagchaudhuri, but also by Dr. Kausiksankar Das, associate professor of physics, Dr. Monisha Das, associate professor of business, management and accounting, and Dr. Xavier Henry, lecturer in aviation sciences, as well.
“The robust collaboration is the reason that the book took so long to complete from the submitted proposal to Springer, the publisher, through three rounds of review and revisions, to the final product,” Mitra said. “It was an arduous task.”
The book presents “a systems approach to bioenergy and provides a means to capture the complexity of bioenergy issues, including both direct and indirect impacts across the energy economy.” It addresses critical topics such as: systems thinking; sustainability, biomass; feedstocks of importance and relevance; anaerobic digestion and biogas; biopower and bioheat; and policies, economy, and rights to access to clean energy.
Interestingly, six out of 12 of the chapters are written by a husband and wife team. “When you work together, you bring out the best,” Mitra said. “Everyone gave more than 100 percent effort.” She explained that the chapters published went through the meticulous process of not only being reviewed by Mitra, but by three to four independent reviewers selected by Springer. Feedback was then shared with the authors and revisions were made. A couple of the chapters had to be excluded. Those published, she said, met the high standards set by Springer. “It is one of the best academic publishers in the world.”
Each chapter, she said, includes a review with highlights of the key points, critical-thinking questions, and a glossary. “The open-ended questions create the opportunity for readers to hone their skills, explore, and think out of the box,” she said.
The book can be used by advanced undergraduates and graduate students as a primary or secondary textbook in courses related to sustainable bioenergy and bioproducts. Researchers, professionals and policy makers will also be able to use it for current reference materials.
“There isn’t a book with the current state of knowledge by original contributors like it,” said Mitra. “It is one of a kind. Students can see that we (professors) do state of the art research that we are able to share with the scientific community.”
The book will be celebrated with a launch seminar at UMES on May 7 at 4 p.m. with some of the interdisciplinary collaborators in attendance. Another launch is slated for June at the annual meeting of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) where Mitra and Nagchaudhuri have served in different capacities including division chairs with the Energy Conversion and Conservation Division, one of the largest divisions of ASEE.
“All of us are very excited about this endeavor,” Mitra said. “We are thankful to the contributing authors for being patient and for believing in us that this would come to fruition.”
Mitra received her doctoral degree in plant biology from North Carolina State University. Her research interests and expertise include: micro and macroalgal ecology; seaweeds in human health and nutrition; biomonitoring and biosorption potential of seaweeds and seagrasses; bioenergy from algae; water quality; and reconstruction of the past environment and climate from microfossils.
Nagchaudhuri’s doctoral degree in mechanical engineering was earned at Duke University. His research interests and expertise include: biofuels and other forms of renewable energy; engineering mechanics; robotics and control systems; and precision agriculture and remote sensing.
The book is available at www.springer.com.
