Beginnings: Bridging Academic Training Through Experiential Research and Innovation

Ohio State University, The, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

This project will provide interdisciplinary research internships to community college and university students to gain valuable experience in an advanced battery manufacturing environment that will prepare them for careers in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. This initiative will reach a diverse and inclusive STEM workforce, promote collaboration between organizations in the EV industry, and align closely with the rapidly evolving energy storage workforce needs of the United States. By providing these opportunities, it will promote the development of a diverse, globally competitive workforce by offering skill development and knowledge acquisition to students from different backgrounds, including underrepresented groups. It will also foster partnerships between academia and industry, engaging students in real-world challenges and market assessments. This will prepare participants for various career pathways and promote interdisciplinary learning and skill integration, enhancing their technical skills and problem-solving abilities. This project will expand access to career-enhancing experiential learning opportunities to reach a broader and more diverse population, targeting students in Associate and early Bachelor of Science programs. Through collaboration with the EV automotive industry, it will support the technology shift to electrification and domestic energy storage technology manufacturing. With a focus on advanced battery manufacturing skills, this project will support the training, reskilling, and upskilling of a diverse workforce for our industry partners in the region, directly contributing to the United States’ advanced manufacturing future. This project will employ various strategies, including implementing Project-Based Learning (PBL) cultivating an Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM), offering summer research internships, providing mentorship and networking opportunities, and integrating interdisciplinary concepts. Using both training and project learning activities, students will be immersed in interdisciplinary, applied experiences in a clean-tech manufacturing learning setting where they will have opportunity for career and self-exploration while improving their skills, knowledge, professional competencies, and networks to pursue careers in the field of advanced battery manufacturing. The project’s overall evaluation plan contains both formative (processes-based) and summative (outcomes-based) elements embedded with a longitudinal evaluation design with comparison groups to assess the extent to which exposure to and participation in the project will help students achieve the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for successful entry into the advanced battery manufacturing workforce. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.