Collaborative Proposal: Energy Sustainability Remote Laboratory (ESRL)

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Competence and confidence in using cutting edge technology is an important element in preparing highly qualified engineers and scientists, while providing access to the technology for students at a range of institutions is a significant challenge. This collaborative project by Louisiana State University & Agricultural and Mechanical College, Florida State University and the University of Nevada Las Vegas is seeking to make access to sustainable energy laboratories possible for all engineering students by developing remote, web-accessible laboratories. Increasing world-wide energy demand coupled with finite conventional energy resources calls for a portfolio of sustainable energy alternatives and new technologies. Engineering students would benefit from learning about sustainable energy systems but it is impractical for all engineering schools to invest in the complex equipment that such systems entail. Through this project Louisiana State University, Florida State University, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas will create laboratories in: cogeneration, biofuels, and solar photovoltaic systems. These laboratories, and associated educational products in renewable and advanced energy technologies, will be formulated in a common fashion and provide real-time data through a two-way web-portal.The laboratories will be designed for use in advanced third and fourth year chemical and mechanical engineering courses such as thermodynamics, heat transfer, and process control. Materials will focus on student understanding of sustainable energy practices and alternative energy sources as applications of theoretical principles of engineering science. The remote laboratories in cogeneration, biofuels, and solar photovoltaic systems will provide real-time data from industrial and pilot-plant-sized facilities. The project will include the implementation of an interactive web portal to disseminate the data, and related background information in energy sustainability. Students and faculty at participating institutions with have the opportunity to provide feedback to the site developers. An important benefit of the remotely-accessible laboratories is the possibility of reducing scheduling problems that occur when conventional laboratories become oversubscribed. Evaluation will focus on the extent to which appropriate student learning objective are achieved through the remote laboratory format. The approach to assessing learning objectives involves collecting data in the form of pre- and post-tests for each laboratory activity, formative assessments such as quizzes, lab journal entries, problem-solving results, and other artifacts exemplifying student learning.