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

这三年新的研究经验为本科生（REU）网站程序，通过本科研究消除障碍洋流为基础的电力生产在佛罗里达大西洋大学（FAU）将从事本科生，主要来自代表性不足的群体，有限的访问STEM研究在一个令人兴奋的研究经验，重点是使能源提取洋流。 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型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，受天体/月球力量影响的潮汐，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是一种尚未开发的能源，在美国沃茨，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生研究来解决对洋流能量提取设备的商业规模安装很重要的三个领域：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研究提供了一个全球性的大视野，包括沿海能源和环境考虑。 在这个REU网站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洋流发电。 FAU将接待10名本科生参加为期10周的暑期课程，该课程将采用本科生研究培训方法，包括1）参与世界级海洋科学和工程研究社区; 2）参加专业发展培训，为学生的研究相关职业道路做好准备; 3）详细说明他们的研究项目支持的应用程序。（洋流能源）;和4）在实验室为基础的计算和实验工程方法，导致原创性研究的专业知识的发展。

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.