IRES Track-1: International Research Experiences for Students in Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability

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This International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project will provide international research experiences for at least 12 undergraduate and/or graduate students to carry out international collaborative researches at the School of Renewable Energy of North China Electric Power University (NCEPU) in Beijing, China for 8 weeks. The objective of the IRES project is to provide the future American engineers a global perspective and opportunities for their professional growth through meaningful international cooperative research training, networking and mentoring in the fields of renewable energy and environmental sustainability in general, and biomass processing technology and wind turbine aeromechanics, in particular. This project will bring together IRES participants, involved professors, Chinese faculty members, and their graduate/undergraduate students with multi-cultural background in a multi-level learning experience infused with the excitement of discovery. It will train participants conduct research in an international research environment to remain at the forefront of world science and technology, making them more proficient in the technical subjects. The program will provide opportunities for their professional development to build their future collaboration network and expose them to Chinese culture and tradition, applicable technological trends and business practices.The research themes of this IRES program are wind turbine aeromechanics and pyrolysis-based biomass thermochemical conversion. By leveraging the unique research facilities and instruments/equipment available at NCEPU and under the supervision of the Chinese faulty mentors, the IRES students on "biomass track" will investigate the effects of blended biomass feedstocks and catalytic co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastic wastes for synergistic production of high quality biofuels and value-added chemicals, while the IRES students on "wind energy track" will conduct comprehensive experimental investigations to quantify surface wind characteristics and evaluate their effects on the aeromechanic performance and wake interferences of wind turbines sited over various complex terrains for higher total power yield and better durability of wind turbines operating on onshore and offshore wind farms. In addition to working in the laboratory to conduct innovative research, the IRES students will also participate in various social and cultural exchanging activities in order to enhance student-faculty, student-mentor and student-student interactions to enable the IRES participants to build their personal friendship and professional connections with participating Chinese mentors and students as well as among the IRES participants themselves on which to build networking for their future professional development and collaboration.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.