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

这个为期三年的本科生研究体验（REU）现场项目，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障碍，将吸引本科生，主要来自代表性不足的群体，他们获得STEM研究的机会有限，这是一个令人兴奋的研究体验，重点是能够从洋流中提取能量。随着世界探索化石燃料的替代品，海洋可再生资源因其环保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：由风驱动的海浪，受天体/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。美国东南部的洋流代表着一种尚未开发的能源，在美国水域，技术上可行的发电潜力估计为19吉瓦。拟议的项目将利用本科研究来解决三个对商业规模安装洋流能源提取装置重要的领域：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研究提供了一个涵盖沿海能源和环境考虑的全球大视角。在这个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，该项目将采用本科生研究培训的方式，包括：1)参与世界一流的海洋科学与工程研究社区；2)参与专业发展培训，为学生走上与研究相关的职业道路做准备；3)详细说明其研究项目所支持的应用（洋流能源）；4)在实验室计算和实验工程方法方面的专业知识发展，从而导致原创研究。

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.