Getting the Word out about Biofuels and Green Racing

May 30, 2015

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by Joanne Ivancic* (Advanced Biofuels USA) No special Green Racing events at the Detroit Grand Prix this year because most of the cars racing for the DEKRA Green Challenge Award have opted out of this race to prepare for the 24 Hours at LeMans.

The Green Challenge Award recognizes the most "clean, fast, and efficient" GT Le Mans (GTLM) competitor in each TUDOR Championship race as determined by the Green Racing Protocols established by the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency and SAE International.

But, that doesn't mean that green racing and use of biofuels isn't part of the conversations. At lunch, at the grocery store, with crew in the paddock area, with fans, and with others in the media center, it becomes clear how little people know about racing as a test bed for innovation or about use of renewable fuels.

Wayne State Social Media Project--Helping Get the Work Out?

This year, Mark Russell of Otto Detroit PR and the Detroit Grand Prix organizers solicited the help of Dr. Shelly Najor, Advising Professor of Public Relations at Wayne State University in Detroit. She and the Public Relations, Broadcast and Journalism faculty designed a program to engage students in a real-life experience while expanding the social media coverage of the three days of racing at the city's Belle Isle.

The team of faculty supervise three teams of students invited to participate in this hands-on high tech, in-the-thick-of-it work. Two "outside" teams walk the south part of Belle Isle dedicated to the 2.3 mile race track, pits, paddock area, grandstands and fan zones, interacting with and interviewing race fans, workers and volunteers. The "inside" team produces their work for posting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Follow #DetroitGP and @DetroitGP to see their work which should include some tidbits about green racing. For example,

The Mazda SkyActiv engine at Detroit Grand Prix runs on renewable diesel fuel made by Renewable Energy Group in Louisiana, USA.

For more information: https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/innovation-unleashed-sportscar-racing-takes-next-step-toward-driving-technology-and-renewable-fuel-development/

IndyCars use 85% renewable fuel--E85--85% ethanol provided by Sunoco.

For more information: http://www.racegas.com/fuel/18

Because IMSA uses cellulosic ethanol made in Florida by INEOS Bio, USA using more efficient production technologies, the vehicles have reduced their carbon pollution by more than 60%. The development of this second generation ethanol production technology is a significant success.

For more information: http://energy.gov/eere/articles/innovation-unleashed-sportscar-racing-takes-next-step-toward-driving-technology

If tweets on these items go out during the race, they will potentially reach 36 million followers around the world.

Katie Pusz, one of the students working on this project and Vice President of Chapter Development for Wayne State PRSSA (the Public Relations Student Society of America) explained that many of those invited to work on this project are PRSSA members and that this is one of many activities of the organization to promote not just Wayne State, but also Detroit. As she said, because Wayne State is in the center of Detroit, bad raps against Detroit affect the university; so the organization works to showcase the positive. Examples she gave, in addition to working the Detroit Grand Prix, include photographers in the Journalism Department donating their time and talent during the fall festival to take head shots of students that can be used for career and profession-related self-promotions.

She hopes that this project at the Detroit Grand Prix will serve as an example to other universities in Michigan and encourage more such collaborations at other national and international events.

Tell the story around the people

20150530_112353 DetroitGP interview cropped

When asked what he learned from this experience, Charlie Kadado, videographer, said he learned not to rely on the written schedule (particularly subject to flux during the stormy weather at this year's Grand Prix); and to tell the story through the people. He learned that everyone followed the press releases and he wanted to look outside those to find a different approach to cover the story.

In the photo, Wayne State Social Media team (from left) Jamilah Jackson and Charlie Kadado, along with Paige Stefansk enlisted 8-year-old Canadian race fan Nicholas Swaluk to interview race drivers, including Brian, during the grid walk before the Tudor Championship race on Saturday, May 30. As Kadado tells it, the team found Swaluk on Friday and interviewed him for the project. When the team saw him again on Saturday, they got permission to tape him doing interviews. Lots of fun for this precocious race fan and for the students learning the ins and outs of public relations.

Great Way to Get STEM Education to Non-STEM Majors

Investors, legislators, consumers, everyone make decisions related to science, technology, engineering and math every day. From purchasing appliances and vehicles to balancing bank accounts and figuring how to eat nourishing, healthful meals, to making investment and policy decisions. All rely on information communicated through a variety of media. Thus, mixing non-science majors with specialists in STEM activities addresses one of the challenges in helping the general public understand the world of STEM, including biofuels.

Let this take a page from the book being written by Charlie Kadado--find a different approach, focus on the people to get the story. Get non-STEM students and professionals involved. And effectively and engagingly communicate the information that will help the public better understand our world, and become prepared to make decisions from state, local, national and international renewable fuels policy to individual decisions about what fuel goes in the tank.

Go #DetroitGP, @DetroitGP!