REU Site: Engineering Solutions for Clean Energy Generation, Storage, and Consumption

在塔斯卡卢萨的阿拉巴马大学，这个为期三年的REU现场项目专注于开发更环保的能源技术。主要的主张是，需要创新的科学和工程解决方案，为国内消费提供环境可持续的能源。在全球范围内，目前的电力消耗为14太瓦，随着第三世界经济体的持续扩张，预计这一数字将在40年内增加两倍。为了吸引和培训下一代科学家和工程师提供清洁能源解决方案，REU网站围绕一系列项目建立，这些项目涉及未来能源解决方案的各种技术方面。这些项目包括：漏油清理技术；用于二氧化碳分离和捕获的离子液体；来自封存地层的二氧化碳排放监测；燃料电池、超级电容器和电化学模拟；沼气和生物柴油生产；笼状水合物中的能量储存；以及环境催化剂。我们需要清洁能源解决方案来维持我们国家的经济发展和环境繁荣。因此，我们国家的未来取决于创造性的解决方案、强大的工程设计和大规模的实施，而这些活动必须得到丰富的年轻工程师的支持。最近发生在墨西哥湾的石油泄漏事件凸显了清洁能源挑战的现实，但与此同时，它也为学习和学生参与提供了一个独特的机会。这些项目为利用最先进的设施进行假说驱动的研究提供了极好的机会。通过这些活动，学生将获得开发清洁能源技术的知识和实践培训，为学生提供长期的职业机会做好准备。招聘计划是广泛的，但有几个方面应该有助于招募代表不足的学生参与这些清洁能源研究项目。通过参加由国家科学基金会资助的研讨会：“介绍HBCU的材料科学和工程”，私人投资机构与HBCU的几个机构建立了牢固的联系。其中几名HBCU教职员工已经承诺帮助从他们的机构招收学生进入这个REU项目。总体而言，该REU现场项目将招募和培训一批不同的工程师，让他们接触清洁能源解决方案的相关方面，并为他们未来的广泛研究机会做好准备。

This three year REU Site program at the University of Alabama,Tuscaloosa is focused on developing technologies for more environmentally-benign energy. The main proposition is that innovative science and engineering solutions are needed to provide environmentally-sustainable energy for domestic consumption. Globally, power consumption is currently 14 TW, and it is expected to triple within 40 years, as third-world economies continue to expand. In order to engage and train the next generation of scientists and engineers in providing clean energy solutions, this REU Site is built around a set of projects that address various technical aspects of future energy solutions. These projects include: technologies for oil spill cleanup; ionic liquids for CO2 separation and capture; CO2 emissions monitoring from sequestration formations; fuel cell, supercapacitor, and electrochemistry modeling; biogas and biodiesel production; energy storage in clathrate hydrates; and environmental catalysis.Clean energy solutions are needed to sustain our nation's economic development and environmental prosperity. Thus, our nation's future depends upon creative solutions, robust engineering designs, and implementation on large scales, and these activities must be supported by a rich pipeline of young engineers. The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico highlights the reality of our clean energy challenge, but at the same time, it provides a unique opportunity for learning and student engagement. These projects provide excellent opportunities for conducting hypothesis-driven research, using state-of-the-art facilities. Through these activities, the students will acquire the knowledge and hands-on training to develop clean energy technologies, preparing the students for long-term career opportunities. The recruitment plan is broad, but there are several aspects that should help to recruit underrepresented students to participate in these cleanenergy research projects. The PIs have established strong connections with several HBCU institutions through their participation in the NSF-funded workshop: "Introducing HBCU Faculty to Material Science and Engineering". Several of these HBCU faculty have already committed to help recruit students from their institutions into this REU program. Overall, this REU Site program will recruit and train a diverse group of engineers, expose them to the tangential aspects of clean energy solutions, and prepare them for a wide array of future research opportunities.