About
The Sun Grant Regional Concept
Sun Grant was first authorized in January 2004 in section 9011 as an amendment to Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 USC 8109) and was reauthorized in the 2008, 2014, and 2018 Farm Bills as the USDA Sun Grant Program. Additionally, Sun Grant is authorized as section 5201(m) under provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users of 2005 [SAFETEA-LU (23 USC 118)]. These authorizations culminated the planning and development since 2001 by Land-Grant universities and the Congress.
The mission of the SGP is to:
- Enhance national energy security through the development, distribution, and implementation of biobased energy technologies;
- Promote diversification in, and the environmental sustainability of agricultural production in the United States through biobased energy and product technologies;
- Promote economic diversification in rural areas of the United States through biobased energy and product technologies; and
- Enhance the efficiency of bioenergy and biomass research and development programs through improved coordination and collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy, and the land-grant colleges and universities.
About the South Central Region
The South Central Center is directed under the supervision of Oklahoma State University’s Principle Investigator and Director, Dr. Scott Senseman, and Associate Director, Dr. Mari Chinn. The South Central region consists of Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. A few of the major center activities include: