Renewable Energy and Green Manufacturing Academy for Rural Middle School Students in Eastern North Carolina Grant uri icon

abstract

  • The purpose of this project is to excite and inspire STEM oriented middle school students in rural Eastern North Carolina (ENC) about professional and research careers in renewable energy and green manufacturing. The students will learn about various renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and hydro-kinetics through experiential hands on learning modules. The students will work in team based renewable energy labs, gather and analyze data, and use energy formulations and calculations to derive results. These results will help students understand the basic principles governing generation and usage of renewable energy. The students will also learn about green manufacturing such as waste reduction, recycling, and remanufacturing using intuitive and inquiry based learning. Inquiry based laboratory experiments combined with field trips to help students connect theory with practice and applications. The project will be conducted during summer at ECU Campus and will bring together approximately seventy-five (75) middle school students over a period of three (3) years. Each year approximately twenty-five (25) 7th grade students exhibiting a strong penchant for STEM will be actively recruited through partnerships with STEM East and North Carolina Hispanic Society. We will partner with ECU's Center for Sustainability and the University of North Carolina's (UNC) Costal Studies Institute (CSI) to develop and conduct these experiential learning modules over ten business days (two weeks). One of the direct measures of success of this project will be gauged by tracking the number of students who enroll in high school STEM programs after participating in the summer camp. Each participating student will be provided with a trackable project. Project PI' and Co-PI's will visit with the students and teachers during the school year to see how well the students have integrated their summer camp knowledge in their projects. These students, along with their teachers and parents will be invited to ECU campus during the opening and closing days of the camps.

date/time interval

  • February 2019 - September 2025