Conference Session

Sustainable-energy Education: Lessons Learned

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Bass, Oregon Institute of Technology; Thomas White, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

first of its kind in North America, and it was created to preparegraduates for careers in the various fields associated with renewable energy. These include, butare not limited to, energy management, energy auditing, energy systems planning, energyeconomics, energy policy and development, carbon accounting and reduction, and energy-relatedresearch, as stated in OIT’s 2005-2006 catalogue.In 2008, however, the BSRES degree was discontinued and replaced by the Bachelors of Sciencein Renewable Energy Engineering (BSREE). Analysis of the market place and observed growthin career options across the renewable energy fields revealed significant opportunities forgraduates with a solid energy engineering education. This paper discusses these and

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Max Rabiee, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

Engineering Education ̇ Traveling Energy Education Exhibition in cooperation with the Cincinnati Museum Center ̇ Development of permanent Energy Education Exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum Center ̇ Technology conferences for alternative energy and industry development ̇ Career center for power generation industry ̇ Career center for power distribution and control industry ̇ Community Outreach for conservation projects – Cincinnati Go Green effort Ü CAS Online – expansion – provide course content for distance learning in this sectorFuture Plans:Duke Energy and the UC College of Applied Science have a demonstrated long and

Conference Session

Solar, Wind, and Novel Energy-System Initiatives

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Recayi 'Reg' Pecen; Jill Humston, University of Northern Iowa

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

MSETI –AREA project has established a partnershipbetween the university and selected area middle schools for the improvement of students’mathematical and scientific skill sets, improve their technological literacy by creating anenvironment where they must understand and figure out relationships among basic mathematics,science and engineering technology applied to renewable energy fields in order to mentor andmanage effectively, and to give them a professional skill-set for successfully applyingmathematics and science to technical projects with diverse teams throughout their careers. Theuse of a number of renewable energy and energy efficiency based hands-on projects will alsopromote mathematics and science for middle school teachers and

Conference Session

Alternative-energy Laboratory Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anurag Srivastava, Mississippi State University; Noel Schulz, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

matchwith increasing demands for power engineering graduates in the coming years. Restructuring andderegulation of the power industry, recent blackouts and discussions about smart grids arehelping to reinvigorate interest and provide increased attention to careers in power engineering.Investigating new approaches to teach power engineering courses was encouraged by theNational Science Foundation (NSF) in 1997 by soliciting educational research projects targetedat developing innovative teaching tools in this area. Several grants from the funding agency wereused to enhance undergraduate and graduate studies and research in energy systems1. Modelingand simulation emerged as one of the preferred teaching approaches based on several educationalresearch

Conference Session

Investigating Alternative-energy Concepts

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Mark Jansson, Rowan University; Ulrich Schwabe, Rowan University; Kevin Bellomo - Whitten, Rowan University; Jonathan Bucca, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

wasn’t sure what to expect Page 14.210.10from this program after being involved in several projects I understand just how such practical experience isvaluable in dealing with real world issues.Undergraduate 2: Having the ability to access tools and work on projects at an undergraduate level, experience most would onlyget in a post graduate setting, has given me an edge over many others. Those wanting to pursue a career inenergy systems like photovoltaics, such as myself, now have the ability to learn how to operate, install, andcalculate data for this popular source of renewable energy. Not only have I gained this knowledge, but

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carl Spezia, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

AC 2009-161: ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND RENEWABLE POWER DESIGNPROJECTS FROM A UNIVERSITY POWER GRIDCarl Spezia, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale Carl J. Spezia is an Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering Technology Program located in the Department of Technology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). He joined the program in1998 as a Visiting Assistant Professor. He worked as a power systems engineer for electric utilities for eight years prior to seeking a career in higher education. He is a licensed professional engineer in Illinois. His industrial assignments included power system modeling, power systems protection, and substation design. He received his M.S. and

Conference Session

Investigating Alternative-energy Concepts

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Faruk Yildiz, Sam Houston State University; Keith Coogler, Sam Houston State University; Dominick Fazarro, Sam Houston State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

into the house.Students involved in this project have been experiencing structured independent research,creative thinking, and hands on experiences that benefit their future career and further the currentknowledge of alternative ambient energy sources. Most of the energy sources were defined bythe students and are being investigated. During the investigation a variety of software simulationtools such as LMS AMESim[29], Matlab, NI Multisim[30] etc. would be used prior to hands-onconstruction. Each source of ambient energy have been assigned to a student or student groupsaccording to their major/minor or individual interest. Page

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kala Meah, York College of Pennsylvania; Wayne Blanding, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

Conference Session

Investigating Alternative-energy Concepts

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Narayanan Komerath, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

use their names as appropriate. Thequestions and responses to-date are given in Table 5. Several more are awaited and will beincluded in the final version of this paper.Table 5: Alumni Assessment (edited/ paraphrased for conciseness)1 Question: Why did you take the course, and how did those reasons and expectations compare with what you found in the course? Responses: • To learn more about the development of different renewable energy systems and recent technologies being used. Enjoyed the opportunity to focus on researching wind energy. I expected a bit more background (more comments on this in later questions) • Renewable energy is a growing field with career opportunities. Micro-renewable energy is often

Conference Session

Sustainable-energy Education: Lessons Learned

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sharon deMonsabert, George Mason University; Jeremy Jessup, George Mason University; Lenna Storm, George Mason University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

ObjectivesThe main learning objectives for this project focused around engineering applications andgaining field experience. The purpose was to apply the concepts, skills, and practices discussed Page 14.532.5in a classroom setting to a scenario that would commonly be experienced throughout a typicalcivil engineer’s career. The four main learning objectives of this project were: 1. Gain real world engineering experience. 2. Implement educational knowledge in a professional setting a. Environmental systems analysis b. Engineering principles 3. Develop and expand skills necessary in a professional

Conference Session

Sustainable-energy Education: Lessons Learned

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tom Ferguson, University of Minnesota, Duluth; Paul Weber, University of Minnesota, Duluth

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

admitted to the class had their first academic opportunity to learn why thecomplex mix of technology, investment, and policy makes the field one of the most exciting toconsider working in.3. The Student Research ProjectThe project is introduced to students as one where they must argue for or against a particularenergy conversion technology. It is stressed that, in graduate school or in an engineering career,they will very likely encounter the need to research a topic and defend a position. They are askedto research, write and present as though they are the single person advising management or Page 14.506.5policy makers on an energy decision that