LIGHTES-Leading Innovation through Green High Tech Engineering & Sustainability

Suffolk Community College, Selden NY

Investigators

Abstract

Building upon the current green/renewable energy grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and the highly successful NSF S-STEM Scholars Program, the Leading Innovation through Green High Tech Engineering & Sustainability (LIGHTES) project is enhancing and expanding ongoing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) collaborations with five regional high schools, the College of Engineering at Stony Brook University (SBU), and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The goals of the LIGHTES project are to: (1) create new and revised alternative energy/green technology courses to enrich the Electrical Technology (ELT) and Engineering Science (ENS) degree programs; (2) develop a sequence of articulated green technology teaching and learning experiences that reach from high school to the baccalaureate level on Long Island, thus increasing the pool of skilled ATE graduates for green/sustainable technology careers; and (3) collaborate with NSF ATE green technology grantee, Bristol Community College (BCC), to establish a community of practice. The collaborative activities with BCC are: (1) designing new alternative energy/green technology associate degree options by developing four new ELT and ENS courses and modifying four existing ELT and one ENS course; (2) forming a community of practice among STEM faculty at both institutions; (3) mentoring high school science and technology teachers at regional high schools using green technology workshops; (4) providing new student internships at BNL and SBU; (5) creating new pipeline activities among engineering faculty at the college, SBU and Hofstra University; and (6) integrating green technology education with the S-STEM college scholarships award. Intellectual Merit: The project is using or adapting existing exemplary green technology, energy, and sustainability curricula developed by BCC and other NSF- and Department of Energy (DOE) -validated sources. Curricula are being developed by an experienced interdisciplinary team of engineering science, engineering technology, and mathematics faculty and validated by an Advisory Board comprised of scientists, academic faculty, and industry representatives. Curriculum, activity, and exercise methods are being guided by evidence-based practices including inquiry-based and problem-based learning. Broader Impacts: In keeping with national trends, New York State (NYS) is stepping up its commitment to green industrial growth. Approximately 50% of the 250 green businesses operating in NYS are located in the metropolitan New York City/Long Island area. A well-articulated pipeline from high school to baccalaureate degree-granting institutions is needed to engage greater numbers of STEM students to meet current and future local and national workforce needs in green and sustainable energy. The college is establishing a community of practice with BCC, creating a new 2+2+2 STEM pipeline in the Long Island region guided by a regional Advisory Board, engaging high school teachers and students in LIGHTES activities, and disseminating the project results at national ATE conferences. A peer-reviewed publication is planned to disseminate results and add to the STEM education knowledge base.