REU Site: Removing Barriers to Ocean Current Based Electricity Production through Undergraduate Research

这个为期三年的新的本科生研究体验(REU)SITE计划，通过佛罗里达大西洋大学(FAU)的本科生研究消除基于洋流的电力生产的障碍，将吸引本科生，主要来自缺乏代表性的群体，获得STEM研究的机会有限，专注于实现从洋流中提取能源的令人兴奋的研究体验。随着世界探索化石燃料的替代品，海洋可再生资源因其环境友好的发电潜力而受到越来越多的关注。这些能源以各种形式丰富：风驱动的海浪、天体/月球力影响的潮汐、各种梯度(如温度和盐度)，以及开放的洋流。美国东南部海域的洋流代表着一种未开发的能源，在美国水域具有技术上可行的发电潜力，估计为19千兆瓦。拟议的项目将利用本科生的研究来解决对洋流能量提取设备的商业规模安装至关重要的三个领域：1)资源评估，2)系统设计和可靠性，以及3)环境相互作用。与许多其他STEM领域相比，海洋可再生能源研究为本科生的研究提供了一个全球、宏大的视角，包括沿海能源和环境考虑。在REU网站接受培训的本科生将了解他们的项目如何影响美国和世界各地新兴的基于洋流的电力生产。FAU将招收10名本科生参加为期10周的暑期项目，该项目将利用本科研究培训方法，包括1)参与世界级海洋科学和工程研究社区；2)参与专业发展培训，为学生与研究相关的职业道路做准备；3)详细说明他们的研究项目支持的应用(海洋电流能源)；以及4)发展基于实验室的计算和实验工程方法方面的专业知识，从而导致原创性研究。

This three year new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site Program, Removing Barriers to Ocean Current Based Electricity Production through Undergraduate Research at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) will engage undergraduate students, primarily from underrepresented groups with limited access to STEM research in an exciting research experience focused on enabling the extraction of energy from ocean currents. As the world explores alternatives to fossil fuels, marine renewable resources have received increased interest due to their environmentally friendly power production potential. These energy sources are abundant in a variety of forms: ocean waves driven by winds, tides influenced by celestial/lunar forces, various gradients (like temperature and salinity), and open ocean currents. Ocean currents off the Southeast U.S. represent an untapped energy source with a technically feasible power production potential estimated at 19 GW in U.S. waters. The proposed project will utilize undergraduate research to address three areas important to the commercial scale installation of ocean current energy extraction devices: 1) resource assessment, 2) system design and reliability, and 3) environmental interactions. More than many other STEM fields, ocean renewable energy research offers undergraduate research a global, big picture perspective that encompasses coastal energy and environmental considerations. Undergraduates trained in this REU Site will understand how their projects impact the emerging ocean current based electricity production both in the U.S. and around the world. FAU will host 10 undergraduate students for a 10 week summer program which will utilize an undergraduate research training approach that includes 1) engagement in a world-class ocean science and engineering research community; 2) participation in professional development training that prepares students for research-related career paths; 3)detailing the application that their research projects support (Ocean Current Energy); and 4) development of expertise in both lab-based computational and experimental engineering methodologies that leads to original research.