Listen to part of a conversation between a student and his chemistry professor.

P: You want to do what? S: Grow grass. P: Grow grass？ I thought you were doing your research project on fuel derived from organic materials, biofuels.

S: Oh, I am. But I was doing some reading, and while I found out that in the process of making biofuel, there's a lot of leftover material after processing the corn or sugar or whatever into fuel, and most of those byproducts are just wasted, hauled away to landfills. So I was thinking maybe I could work on some sort of project that finds a use for one of the byproducts, and I picked glycerol.

P: But there's lots of industrial uses for glycerol already. It's a common ingredient in soap and some food products.

S: I know, but with more and more biofuel being produced, there's more glycerol being made than there are uses for it.

P: And so you want to work on alternative applications for glycerol, like using it to help grass grow.

S: Yeah, there's this idea I read about. It said you can make a film, a really sticky film, that you could put on grass seeds so they stick to the ground and that would give them more time to germinate.

P: This sounds a lot more complicated than the kinds of projects I suggested that your class try to do. This is more like a graduate research project. S: I know it's a big leap, but I can handle it.

P: How are you going to get the equipment you need? S: Well, actually, that's why I was hoping that you could help me with that. Is there any way that I could use one of the labs in Hazleton Hall?

P: Those labs are only for professors doing research, and once in a while, a graduate student's allowed to pursue a project in there. S: Yeah. But Hazelton is the only place that's set up where where you can grow lots of plants under controlled conditions, indoors, and I'm going to need some real space if I'm gonna grow grass.

P: Why don't you just work on developing that sticky film? I'm not requiring students to field test any new substances they develop.

S: But I really want to know if it works. Maybe you could sponsor my research. I realized that this is supposed to be an independent project, and I wouldn't actually ask you to do anything. I know that this is kind of out there as a project, but just think of all the possibilities. I keep reading that biofuel is a way of the future which is great and all, but not if it produces a lot of wasted byproducts. So if I could find a new use for even one of them, then I'm not just doing some abstract student project.

P: Well, it's nice to see that you're so passionate about this look. I can't say I'm involved in your research if I'm not, but let me see if I can get you access to Hazleton anyway. But please don't get your hopes up, okay?