Kentucky is known for many products and industries, including the bourbon industry. One important factor in the bourbon industry is the fermentation process. Fermentation is also pertinent to the production of many popular foods and drinks, including but not limited to breads, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, kefir, pickles, sauerkraut, kombucha, beer and wine, of which some of these are also produced in Kentucky. The bourbon industry alone is worth $8.6 billion and makes up 20,100 jobs in Kentucky (KY Distillers' Association, 2020). There are 83 microbreweries in Kentucky, up from 47 in 2016 (KY Alcoholic Beverage Control, July 2020), employing approximately 1,060 people. Kentucky also produces 40 million gallons of ethanol per year, also made using fermentation from KY corn (KY Clean Fuels Coalition). 

Fermented foods, drinks, and ethanol will continue to exist and they are well aligned with the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and other academic programs in KY at Kentucky State University, the University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University and Eastern Kentucky University. Ethanol continues to be used as a fuel, important for reduced air pollution. It is important for students in college as well as students in high school and younger, to know the science of fermented foods, drinks, and ethanol and their role in biotechnology and related careers to be able to meet the future STEM workforce needs. Therefore, to provide additional resources for the Agribiotechnology Career Pathway in secondary agricultural science programs in the states of KY and LA, as a part of the NSF EPSCoR II, R-2 project with collaborators at Louisiana State University, the Principal Extension Specialist and colleagues developed a four lesson Fermentation Unit that was piloted by teachers in spring 2020 by five agricultural science teachers. Teachers attended a full day professional development workshop to gain in-person knowledge and hands-on skills of the Unit. The Unit includes an introduction to fermentation of foods and ethanol, careers in fermentation, basic fermentation biochemistry information, and distillation and combustion.

One hundred students were in classes where the teachers implemented the Fermentation Unit. Eighty-five percent of the students who completed the Unit had not learned about fermentation in a class prior to being taught the Fermentation Unit. On the post-test, students were asked how likely they were to pursue further knowledge and education on fermentation as a result of the Unit. Twenty-four percent indicated they were "likely" and five percent indicated they were "very likely" to pursue more knowledge and education on fermentation. Only the KY teachers completed the teacher follow-up survey. None of them had ever attended a professional development workshop on a biotechnology topic prior to the Fermentation Unit workshop, nor did they have work experience in the field of biotechnology prior to teaching. Two of the three teachers "agreed" biotechnology should be a topic taughy in an agriscience class, while one "strongly agreed." The Fermentation Unit is seen as an important addition to agriscience teachers' toolboxes to add to the Agribiotechnology Career Pathway and overall biotechnology understanding of students.