RET Site: Joule Fellows: Sustainable Energy for an Inclusive Society

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

This renewal RET Site at the University of Connecticut entitled Joule Fellows: Sustainable Energy for an Inclusive Society, enables K-14 teachers, the "Joule Fellows", to experience innovation first hand through research in Sustainable Energy (SE) technologies and provides a rich professional development experience to facilitate effective translation of the research experience to the classroom. The program components comprise a six-week summer experience including: in-depth laboratory research; laboratory tours, demonstrations, and energy facility visits; seminars and workshops with industry focusing on SE practice; professional development workshops focusing on fostering inclusivity and diversity in the classroom; and preparation of laboratory units that can be shared with other educators. The summer program is followed by academic year engagement between fellows and research advisors to facilitate teaching of lesson plans that they developed collaboratively over the summer. The Joule Fellows program empowers K-14 teachers to effectively engage and interest students in STEM and to encourage students to pursue BS degrees in STEM fields. Teachers from minority-serving districts are targeted to promote diversity in and access to STEM education. The program establishes relationships among teachers across schools, districts, and the state to promote distribution of information and lesson plans, thereby promoting the program beyond the cohort of participants. The Joule Fellows program directly contributes to national priorities for strong, diverse STEM education that prepares students to meet the complex challenges in sustainable energy confronting our society. This program builds on UConn Engineering's successful current and prior NSF RET projects. The proposed RET Site provides a powerful, holistic summer research and professional development experience for teachers that incorporates research in critical sustainable energy technologies, exposes teachers to industrial practice in sustainable energy, and offers workshops that introduce teachers to education research and practices that promote inclusivity and diversity in the classroom. Diversity in this context encompasses not only students' racial, ethnic, and socio-economic profiles, but also unique learning characteristics, i.e. neurodiversity, that affect students' participation in classroom activities and learning. Teachers will be exposed to groundbreaking research at UConn that investigates the opportunities and challenges posed by students with ADHD, who often present exceptional creative potential, but are largely underserved by the current educational system, particularly in STEM fields. The combination of SE research, inclusive classroom strategies, and industry perspectives provides teachers with an effective toolkit to inspire students to pursue higher education and careers in STEM.