Board 108: Evaluation of Collaborative REU Exploring the Energy Spectrum from Body-heat Harvesting to Smart Grid Technology

Megan Patberg Morin; Elena Nicolescu Veety; Pam Page Carpenter

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Conference: 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Tampa, Florida
Publication Date: June 15, 2019
Start Date: June 15, 2019
End Date: June 19, 2019
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Tagged Topics: Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 9
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--32181
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/32181
Download Count: 440

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Paper Authors

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Megan Patberg Morin North Carolina State University

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Megan Patberg Morin is a third year Ph.D. student at North Carolina State University. She is currently studying STEM education with a focus in Technology, Engineering, and Design. Her undergraduate degree is in Middle Childhood Education focusing on Math and Science from the University of Dayton, and her Master’s is also from NC State in Technology and Engineering Education. She currently works as Graduate Assistant in the Education and Workforce program at the FREEDM Systems Center and PowerAmerica at NC State. She focuses her research in electrical engineering education specifically research experiences, underrepresented populations, teaching practices, and community college students. Her dissertation will be a Phenemological case study on community college students in a Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Program.

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Elena Nicolescu Veety North Carolina State University

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Elena Veety received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, in 2011. Her research focused on liquid crystal polarization gratings for tunable optical filters and telecommunications applications. Since 2011, she has been a Teaching Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University.
Currently, she is the Education Director for the NSF Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Advanced Self-Powered Systems of Integrated Sensors and Technologies (ASSIST).

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Pam Page Carpenter

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Pam Page Carpenter, Ed.D is Director of Education programs for the National Science Foundation Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Center headquartered at NC State University. She has developed and led K-20 programs in renewable energy and alternative transportation with a focus on and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). She is an adjunct associate professor in the Technology, Engineering, and Design department at NC State and earned her doctorate in Technology, Engineering, and Design in the College of Education at NC State University.

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Abstract

This program is a collaborative endeavor between two NSF-funded Engineering Research Centers, providing undergraduates immersive research experiences through exploration of various aspects of one of our generation’s most crucial challenges: Energy. The primary goal of the program is to create a multidisciplinary, diverse, and engaging learning space for REU students with a focus on broadening participation of underrepresented groups in STEM graduate programs.

Unlike traditional REUs that often focus on a singular topic, this Center collaboration provides research experiences and discussions on broader applications of energy innovations. Participants explore the spectrum of energy research from nano-scale harvesting to the larger scale smart grid technologies. The research foci of the two Centers provide a unique combination of nano-scale and large-scale energy harvesting, management, and distribution. Energy harvesting from the human body for health applications attracts students who may be interested in the medical and environmental fields and would otherwise not consider graduate study in an engineering discipline. At the same time, large-scale applications of renewable energy systems are also available including power engineering, power electronics, advanced vehicle technologies, and battery storage. By combining the two Centers, students have the opportunity to pursue independent projects in a variety of different engineering areas, which allows us to accommodate a wide range of student interests.

Given the limited exposure of undergraduates to the field of energy research, this REU site addresses a niche need in REU opportunities. The implications of increased knowledge of energy cannot be understated, as the national discussions around renewable energy remain contentious and would benefit from a more informed society. This REU site moves us closer to this goal through both the encouragement of individuals to participate in related research and careers, and their ability to become ambassadors of this information to their peers, families, and communities.

Now in its third year, the site has hosted two cohorts of students and is currently in the recruiting process for its last cohort. This paper will evaluate the impact of recruitment strategies, leading to 45% underrepresented racial or ethnic minority participants, 25% female participants, and 60% participants from Community Colleges (35%) or other primarily undergraduate institutions without high research activity (25%). It will also address student retention either through transfer to 4-year institutions, or transition to graduate programs. The overall structure of the program will be described including individual project examples and cohort-wide professional and technical development activities. Impact will be addressed based on pre-post survey data as well as direct assessment of student skills in targeted areas. Authors will discuss collaboration strategies and lessons learned in addition to presenting results from the program’s ongoing assessment efforts.

Citation
Format

Morin, M. P., & Veety, E. N., & Carpenter, P. P. (2019, June), Board 108: Evaluation of Collaborative REU Exploring the Energy Spectrum from Body-heat Harvesting to Smart Grid Technology Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--32181

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This program is a collaborative endeavor between two NSF-funded Engineering Research Centers, providing undergraduates immersive research experiences through exploration of various aspects of one of our generation’s most crucial challenges: Energy. The primary goal of the program is to create a multidisciplinary, diverse, and engaging learning space for REU students with a focus on broadening participation of underrepresented groups in STEM graduate programs.

Unlike traditional REUs that often focus on a singular topic, this Center collaboration provides research experiences and discussions on broader applications of energy innovations. Participants explore the spectrum of energy research from nano-scale harvesting to the larger scale smart grid technologies. The research foci of the two Centers provide a unique combination of nano-scale and large-scale energy harvesting, management, and distribution. Energy harvesting from the human body for health applications attracts students who may be interested in the medical and environmental fields and would otherwise not consider graduate study in an engineering discipline. At the same time, large-scale applications of renewable energy systems are also available including power engineering, power electronics, advanced vehicle technologies, and battery storage. By combining the two Centers, students have the opportunity to pursue independent projects in a variety of different engineering areas, which allows us to accommodate a wide range of student interests.

Given the limited exposure of undergraduates to the field of energy research, this REU site addresses a niche need in REU opportunities. The implications of increased knowledge of energy cannot be understated, as the national discussions around renewable energy remain contentious and would benefit from a more informed society. This REU site moves us closer to this goal through both the encouragement of individuals to participate in related research and careers, and their ability to become ambassadors of this information to their peers, families, and communities.

Now in its third year, the site has hosted two cohorts of students and is currently in the recruiting process for its last cohort.  This paper will evaluate the impact of recruitment strategies, leading to 45% underrepresented racial or ethnic minority participants, 25% female participants, and 60% participants from Community Colleges (35%) or other primarily undergraduate institutions without high research activity (25%). It will also address student retention either through transfer to 4-year institutions, or transition to graduate programs.  The overall structure of the program will be described including individual project examples and cohort-wide professional and technical development activities. Impact will be addressed based on pre-post survey data as well as direct assessment of student skills in targeted areas. Authors will discuss collaboration strategies and lessons learned in addition to presenting results from the program’s ongoing assessment efforts.   

AU  - Megan Patberg Morin
AU  - Elena Nicolescu Veety
AU  - Pam Page Carpenter
CY  - Tampa, Florida
DA  - 2019/06/15
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Board 108: Evaluation of Collaborative REU Exploring the Energy Spectrum from Body-heat Harvesting to Smart Grid Technology
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/32181
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--32181
ER  -