Louisville, Kentucky
June 20, 2010
June 20, 2010
June 23, 2010
2153-5965
9
15.192.1 - 15.192.9
10.18260/1-2--16203
https://peer.asee.org/16203
479
Lakshmi Munukutla received her Ph.D. degree in Solid State Physics from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio and M.Sc and B.Sc degrees from Andhra University, India. She has been active in research and published several journal articles. She is a professor in the Department of Engineering Technology at Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus.
Arizona -Texas Consortium for Alternative and Renewable Energy Technologies
Abstract
The focus of the Arizona–Texas Consortium for Alternative and Renewable Energy Technologies (ATCARET) was to meet the workforce needs of our national energy, transportation, and electronic industries. The project established an educational consortium through collaboration between high schools and community colleges in Arizona and Texas along with Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus. The project leveraged existing teaching and research expertise and facilities in the field of alternative and renewable energy for accomplishing the project goals.
The project strategy was to meet the workforce needs by increasing the number of graduates, including underprivileged groups, with Associate of Applied Science degrees (AAS), certificate programs, and Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees by preparing them using world-class facilities. Furthermore, the project embarked on creating opportunities for industry internships for AAS and BS seeking students, providing training to improve the skills of the existing workforce and also served as a nationwide and statewide public awareness vehicle. One of the primary requirements of high quality human life in this world is abundant clean energy.
The skill sets required to prepare the Associate and Bachelors level graduates are discussed in the paper. The course development activities including web accessible course materials for dissemination accomplished to date are included in the paper. Additionally, benchmark programs and models that attract high school graduates to the program are also covered in the paper.
Introduction
One of the primary requirements of high quality human life in this world is abundant clean energy [1]. The high demand for this precious resource is significantly increasing due to the industrialization of developing countries. In addition, the global effort in exploring alternate avenues to generate energy is also climbing in an exponential manner to meet this demand [2]. As the global population depletes the existing natural resources at a faster rate, many energy- based industries are rapidly exploring alternative energy generation and distribution avenues [3]. The consortium will focus its efforts on preparing the high technology alternative energy workforce by providing relevant education at the AAS, certificate program, and the BS degree levels both in the state of Arizona and Texas. The consortium partners of this project are currently serving a large percentage of underserved minorities and will further assist and nurture these minority groups by preparing them for STEM careers in high technology industries.
The energy field is becoming a major economic driving force in the State of Arizona [4], the nation, and the world. The Department of Electronic Systems has academic programs in this
Munukutla, L. (2010, June), Arizona Texas Consortium For Alternative And Renewable Energy Technologies Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--16203
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