Recently, the National Science Foundation awarded Delaware State University a $298,592 grant for a Renewable Energy Engineering program.
The grant is part of Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science or NSF INCLUDES.
Delaware State University (DSU) researchers are leading the renewable energy engineering effort in collaboration with educators from the University of Delaware, Delaware Technical and Community College, University of Maryland and Stoney Brook University
“DSU students will be trained during the summer at partner institutions, and those students will work with students from the Early College High School in a one-week summer program in the DSU Renewable Energy Education Center,” said Dr. Aristides Marcano, professor of physics and principal investigator of the grant.
This summer, middle and high school students in a Future Scientist camp explored renewable energy. Each camp day the campers learned the concepts behind renewable energy machines and visited renewable energy facilities.
The topics of the camp included solar energy utilization, windmill and hydropower, geothermal, energy exploitation, biofuel production, and application.
K-12 students were also involved as a way of nurturing future recruitment of students to pursue college-level areas relating to renewable energy and sustainability.
Delaware State University's two-year pilot will provide students with new academic options in alternative energy and environmental sustainability.