REU Site: Integrating Research in Sustainable Energy and the Environment across Disciplines (IR-SEED)

非技术总结：由工程教育和中心部门支持的TAMUK REU站点旨在为新兴的可持续能源领域提供有影响力的夏季研究经验，并为代表性不足的学生扩大研究机会。这将使他们了解自己在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域的能力和兴趣水平，并为他们的教育和职业发展的下一阶段做好准备。REU网站的智力价值在于为下一代可持续能源研究人员建立一个新的和急需的管道，配备解决可持续能源研究和社会和环境问题的广泛主题，这是一个具有本地意义和全球影响的主题。该计划提供的研究、教育和职业指导旨在激发学生以新的眼光看待他们的学术工作，并为学术研究或工业创新方面的职业生涯提供火花。参与的学生将处理能源研究的各种主题，与教师导师和来自不同工程部门的学生互动，并发展能源研究的整体视角。该网站旨在指导学生独立工作和作为一个研究团队的成员。每个学生将被要求写一篇会议论文风格的研究报告，并在为期10周的课程结束时，在海报比赛中对他们的夏季研究项目进行口头和海报展示。REU网站符合TAMUK工程学院的一项倡议，即让本科生参与研究，并促进美国公民的参与，特别是西班牙裔、非裔美国人和女性学生进入研究生院。REU网站建立在培养来自代表性不足的学生的崭露头角的研究人员的愿景上，以迎接能源研究的挑战，并培养未来的领导者，积极为国家的能源自力更生议程做出贡献。技术概述：该REU网站由美国国家科学基金会工程教育和中心分部主办，位于德州农工大学金斯维尔分校（TAMUK），旨在为多学科合作努力开发和实施一个模型环境，在这个环境中，研究和教育紧密结合在能源研究的不同方面。它的特色是一个为期10周的跨学科团队方法，指导学生进行能源研究项目。可持续能源研究包括以下几个主要研究领域：1)可再生能源；2)传统清洁能源；3)能源政策、环境和社会影响。具体目标是：1)为本科生提供可持续能源研究的不同方面的研究机会，特别是西班牙裔、非裔美国人和女性；2)增加未被充分代表的学生参加研究生教育的人数；3)使用REU网站在TAMUK工程学院不同部门的教师和学生之间建立协作链接。通过与各自学科前沿的教师导师一起参与前沿研究，学生将参与可持续能源研究主题的复杂科学研究。该课程旨在教授学生如何制定研究问题，以及如何在研究导师的指导下制定和修改研究计划。学生将学习独立工作，并与其他小组成员合作，因为他们在能源研究的特定主题进行研究。将在全国范围内招募来自不同工程和科学部门的10名学生，特别强调西班牙裔、非裔美国人和女性学生。学生将在多种环境下报告和展示他们的研究成果。除了实践合作研究经验，技术和社会活动将被纳入该计划，为学生提供分析，写作和演讲技能的坚实基础，并加强REU学生和教师导师之间的互动。

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:The REU Site at TAMUK supported by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers seeks to provide an impactful summer research experience in the emerging field of sustainable energy and expand research opportunities for underrepresented students. This will enable them to understand their own levels of aptitude and interest in a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and give them the tools to prepare for the next stage in their education and career development. The intellectual merit of the REU Site lies in constructing a new and critically needed pipeline for the next generation of sustainable energy researchers, equipped to address the broad theme of sustainable energy research and social and environmental issues, which is a theme of local significance and global implications. The research, educational, and career mentorship provided by the program is envisioned to stimulate the students to look at their academic work in a new light and to provide a spark for possible careers in academic research or industrial innovation. Participating students will tackle various topics of energy research, interact with faculty mentors and students from different engineering departments, and develop a holistic perspective of energy research. The site is designed to guide students to work both independently and as members of a research team. Each student will be required to write a conference paper style report of their research for publication and deliver an oral and poster presentation of their summer research projects in the poster competition at the end of 10-week program. The REU site fits within an initiative in the College of Engineering at TAMUK to involve undergraduate students in research, and to boost the participation of US citizens, especially Hispanic, African-American, and women students into graduate school. The REU site builds on a vision of grooming budding researchers from underrepresented students to embrace the challenge of energy research and building future leaders who proactively contribute to the nation's energy self-reliance agenda.TECHNICAL SUMMARY: This REU Site hosted at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) and supported by the National Science Foundation's Division of Engineering Education and Centers is designed to develop and implement a model environment for multidisciplinary collaborative efforts where research and education are tightly integrated around the different facets of energy research. It features a 10-week interdisciplinary team approach to mentor students on energy research projects. The proposed sustainable energy research consists of the following major research areas: 1) Renewable energy 2) Traditional clean energy, and 3) Energy Policy, Environmental and Social Impacts. Specific objectives are to: 1) provide research opportunities in different aspects of sustainable energy research to undergraduate students, especially Hispanic, African-American, and women; 2) increase the number of underrepresented students who participate in graduate education; 3) use the REU site for building collaborative links among faculty and students from different departments within the college of engineering at TAMUK. Through participation in cutting-edge research with faculty mentors working at the forefront of their respective disciplines, students will engage in complex scientific studies on sustainable energy research topics. This program is structured to teach students how to formulate research questions as well as how to develop and modify research plans with the guidance of their research mentors. Students will learn to work independently and to collaborate with other group members as they conduct research in specific topics in energy research. Ten students from various engineering and science departments will be recruited through a nationwide search with special emphasis on Hispanic, African-American, and women students. Students will report and present their research results in multiple settings. In addition to the hands-on collaborative research experience, technical and social activities will be incorporated into the program to provide students with a solid foundation in analytical, writing, and presentation skills and to enhance interactions between REU students and faculty mentors.