An Interdisciplinary Scholarship Program for Undergraduates in Renewable Energy

S-STEM可再生能源奖学金项目是为有经济需求的有才华的学生在堪萨斯大学(KU)完成STEM学科的四年制学士学位而发起的。组建了一支跨学科的STEM教员团队，为专业发展提供可再生能源培训和指导。这些学生来自昆士兰州立大学、哈斯克尔印第安人民族大学(Haskell)和约翰逊县社区学院(JCCC)。提案的目标有三个方面。首先，制定了一项积极的计划，每年招收16-20名学生(其中至少一半来自哈斯克尔和JCCC)，特别重视招收、培训和指导来自代表性不足群体的学生。其次，互动式教学/辅导在教师导师和他们的学生之间建立了强大的个人互动，他们经历了一系列不同的活动。这些活动包括分组课程、视频研讨会、重点讲座(在所有三个校区)、对当地可再生能源设施的实地考察，以及专门为STEM学生设计的跨学科研究项目和与能源相关的实习机会。第三，各种各样的外展活动利用并帮助招募的学者，包括访问当地的高中和大学，参加K-12纳米技术研讨会(通过KU的自然历史博物馆)，以及通过现有的REU(本科生研究)计划组织的公共对话。

AbstractAn S-STEM Renewable Energy Scholarship program is initiated for talented students with demonstrated financial need to complete four year bachelor degrees in STEM disciplines at the University of Kansas (KU). An interdisciplinary STEM faculty team is assembled to provide training in renewable energy and mentorship for professional development. The students are recruited from KU, Haskell Indian Nations University (Haskell), and Johnson County Community College (JCCC). The proposal objectives are three-fold. First, an aggressive plan is in place for recruitment of a group of 16-20 students each year (with at least half from Haskell and JCCC) in relevant STEM disciplines with a special emphasis on recruitment, training, and mentoring of students from underrepresented groups. Second, interactive teaching/mentoring is building strong personal interactions between the faculty mentors and their students who experience a diverse set of activities. These activities include cohort courses, video seminars, focused lectures (at all three campuses), field trips to local renewable energy facilities, and interdisciplinary research projects and energy related internships crafted specifically for STEM students. Third, a diverse spectrum of outreach activities utilizes and assists the recruited scholars, including visits to local high schools and colleges, participating in K-12 Nanotech workshops (through KU's Natural History Museum), and public dialogs organized through existing REU (undergraduate research) programs.