Written By Ann Nordby

Over the past 30 years, Prof. Ulrike Tschirner has taught and mentored hundreds of students in the field of biomass conversion and renewable energy.  She is the first faculty member that many students meet, and she is one of the most-loved instructors on campus. 

"She's a resource for everyone in the department," said Mia Nelson, a senior undergraduate in the BBE program. "People who didn't even have her as their official advisor go to her and say, 'What do I do?'" Her retirement this spring is an occasion to celebrate her many contributions. 

As an instructor, Tschirner teaches about 100 students each academic year, and is the advisor for many students majoring in Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering. Freshman know her because she teaches BBE 1001. In 19 years as director of undergraduate studies, she advised more than 600 students directly on course selection, internships and co-ops, as well as professional job selection. 

So it's surprising to learn that before she joined the University of Minnesota, Tschirner dreaded the prospect of teaching students. In her early career, Tschirner trained and worked as a lignin chemist. She had nine years of experience researching paper fibers in the pulp and paper industry and a couple of patents under her belt, but no training or experience as a teacher. In 1995, she was ready for a career change and came to Minnesota. 

"I wanted to control my research direction better," she said recently. Working in industry did not allow the depth of research she craved. "But I was afraid of teaching students. As it turns out, I really enjoy it! It turned out to be a good move." 

The many awards she has received attest to her success in teaching. The award of which she is most proud is the Horace T Morse Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education. In 2012, that award appeared on the Minneapolis campus's Scholars Walk. 

Expertise and impact

The overarching theme of Tschirner's career, grounded in organic chemistry, is solving environmental issues. Her early research in pulp and paper focused on environmentally friendly bleaching to save on petrochemicals and to address the problem of acid rain. Global environmental inquiry has broadened over the decades, and her interests have too. 

Today she researches and teaches about how to avoid using petrochemicals altogether through biomass conversion – turning a variety of materials into products such as ethanol and bioplastics. Bioplastics are plastics made from renewable materials. 

By teaching and mentoring others in her field, Tschirner has broadened the impact of her work – from her own research to the myriad approaches taken by the many alumni she has influenced. 

"We are close to 500 alumni in the BBE program now. There have been probably 600 students in all who have had to deal with me," she says, laughing.

Since 1995, technology has driven some improvements in teaching. In the early years, Tschirner said, "We had overhead projectors made on a copy machine. Students got a syllabus and a book. During the semester they got handouts. In most cases, they didn't get much more. But now we have Canvas sites, handouts, Powerpoints, links to online resources, and since COVID most of us have videos there, too. Students have more choices in how they learn." 

Tschirner's success at teaching has not been an accident, however. She pursued Bush Foundation teaching fellowships twice - in early career and mid-career. Over the years, she has developed 15-16 BBE courses. Her main courses are in biomass chemistry and bioproducts labs. Today she is just as recognized for expertise as a teacher. She often co-teaches with instructors in other specialties within BBE.

As director of undergraduate education from 2004 to 2023, she advised many BBE students one-on-one. "It's the biggest fun," she said. "One of my favorite things is if one of our alumni walks into my office and asks, 'How are you doing?' and tells me how they are doing." 

Nelson, the BBE senior, remembers meeting Tschirner early on. "I met her the summer before my senior year of high school," she remembered. Nelson had checked the interest boxes for chemical or environmental engineering on her college application materials and she got a call to meet with Ulrike. 

"I was hooked," she said. She went on to work closely with her through the Food and Bioproducts Engineering organization (FaBEO). In that group, students grew mycelium to make molds that may someday replace styrofoam. After graduation, Nelson will go to work for Anderson Windows as a research and development engineer.  

Tschirner is retiring from teaching and research, but she will stay connected to BBE. She will continue to volunteer with the department. As a volunteer, she will continue to make an impact running a training program for high school science teachers, which serves a dual purpose. Along with educating teachers, it gives many high school students their first exposure to a university campus and science lab.