RICHLAND, Wash. ��� Washington State University Tri-Cities is partnering with the Port of Benton to offer wine and culinary education at the newly reopened Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center in Prosser, Washington.

The Clore Center was established in 2014 as the result of a $2 million grant from the Federal Economic Development Administration. It was named in honor of Walter Clore, who is largely known as the ���Father of Washington wine.��� The 15,000-square-foot facility features a tasting room, event space and educational center to teach individuals about Washington���s storied wine and agriculture industries.

As part of the new partnership, 厙ぴ勛圖 will offer seminars, events and coursework at the facility for both 厙ぴ勛圖 students and the public under its continuing education and workforce development programs. 厙ぴ勛圖 will also lead the curatorial direction and display of Clore���s historical wine archive at the center as part of its Washington Wine History Initiative.

Diahann Howard, PPM and executive director of the , said the partnership with 厙ぴ勛圖 presents an ideal opportunity for the center.

���WSU���s alignment with regional wine and culinary education is indisputable and we���re delighted to take this next step with them in ensuring Dr. Clore���s memory is honored,��� she said.

Reopening of the Clore Center

In Dec. 2020, the previous operator of the Clore Center was forced to close the center���s doors as a result of difficulties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Given 厙ぴ勛圖��� established programs in wine science, wine and beverage business management and hospitality business management, representatives from the Port of Benton reached out to 厙ぴ勛圖 to see if the university would be interested in providing educational programming at the center focusing on wine and agriculture.

厙ぴ勛圖 Chancellor Sandra Haynes said 厙ぴ勛圖 was excited to partner.

���The Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center is a true gem for not only the regional wine industry, but for the extensive Washington wine industry state-wide and beyond,��� she said. ���We are elated to offer programming that will not only educate individuals about the history of Washington state wine, but also provide sensory and other hands-on experiences that will allow individuals to do a deep dive into all that Washington wine has to offer.���

Educational programming led by 厙ぴ勛圖

Byron Marlowe, 厙ぴ勛圖 associate professor of hospitality and wine and beverage business management and Don Smith Distinguished Professor, will oversee educational programming at the center. He brings a wealth of knowledge in wine, culinary and hospitality business management. He recently returned home after teaching and completing research at the IMC University of Applied Sciences in Austria as part of the Fulbright Program, where he studied best practices for winery tasting room experiences that can be applied throughout the world.

Educational programming began at the center with students completing sensory components for the . Additional educational opportunities, including those open to the public, will be available, soon.

As programming becomes available, more information will be posted about offerings and opportunities to engage with the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center on its new website at��.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Fulbright scholar Fitria is using her educational experience at and the to find new and improved ways of creating successful biofuels and bioproducts.

In her home country of Indonesia, Fitria, who goes by one name, is a team member and former project leader in biomass process technology and bioremediation at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences Research Center for Biomaterials.

There, she works to convert lignocellulosic biomass���the cellulose and lignin-rich substances that give plants their rigidity���from agricultural residues to ethanol and other bioproducts such as wood adhesives, biocomposites, pulp, and paper.

In recent years, the Indonesian government has focused more heavily on the production of biofuels. And while ethanol, which in Indonesia is mostly made from cassava, a starchy root from a tropical crop, is readily available, they are exploring other options, especially lignocellulosic-based biomass from local vegetation. Cellulose from the remains of pressed, harvested oil palm fruit bunches could be a viable option, as Indonesia is the largest producer. Other potential products include rice straw and sugar cane bagasse.

In order to fulfill her career goals, Fitria joined a team led by Bin Yang, associate professor of biological systems engineering at 厙ぴ勛圖, in August 2016. Over the past three years, she has worked in the at 厙ぴ勛圖 to improve the understanding of fundamental mechanisms of pretreatment technologies for cellulosic-based fuels. Her work helps advance cutting���edge biomass conversion technologies and to facilitate the commercialization process.

At 厙ぴ勛圖, she is studying several types of lignocellulose biomass, such as corn stover and wheat straw, which are among the most common agricultural waste products in the U.S.

���Wheat straw is abundant in eastern Washington,��� she said. ���The remnant material in the harvesting process is usually left on the field, and about 60 percent is used for ground cover. But you can���t remove all of the residue on the field. We want to use the remaining material to make biofuels.���

Fitria is specifically examining how to improve the pretreatment process in turning remnant lignocellulosic materials into biofuels with Yang.

In the early stages, cellulose, which is the main component of cell walls in plants, must undergo a pretreatment process to separate it from other major components, hemicellulose and lignin, to help enzymes convert it to sugar. After that, it is fermented into ethanol. Other components in plants, such as mineral components, however, might hinder this process, which she is now investigating.

Fitria is also working with Jian Liu, a senior chemical engineer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, to study the impact that mineral components have on the pretreatment process. She will also start as part of the this fall. This WSU-PNNL collaboration not only aids in her doctoral study, but also provides her with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory.

���Working at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will be very important to her future research career,��� Yang said. ���Fitria has displayed remarkable skill in science, engineering and leadership, and she will continue to grow and make significant contributions to the field of biomass to bioproducts.���

Fitria���s research at 厙ぴ勛圖 is in line with WSU���s identified of providing and in . It is also in line with WSU���s .