Strengthening Building & Construction Technician Training with Alternative Energy Sources to Advance Sustainability (B/C Alt-Energy Tech)

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This Advanced Technological Education Program Track 2 project aims to serve the national interest by improving curricula and educational materials in building and construction science technician education for the Northeast Florida region. By 2050, according to environmental scientists’ predictions, the United States will be entirely dependent on renewable energy. This includes going green in the building and construction science industry. Carrying out this transition of the nation’s energy infrastructure will require a robust construction technician workforce that integrates building science and energy-efficiency knowledge into their standard practice. Florida State College at Jacksonville’s project, Strengthening Building and Construction Technician Training with Alternative Energy Sources to Advance Sustainability, supports a significant effort to increase our capacity to educate students and regional technicians. The project goals are to: 1) create an Alternative Energies track, as part of Associate of Science degree programs that will prepare students to earn multiple industry-recognized credentials in alternative energies use in building and construction, 2) establish an Alternative Energies and Materials Laboratory for students to practice installation and performance analysis techniques, 3) design and build a low-cost classroom alternative energy and thermal conductivity trainer for teachers to use in secondary courses, and 4) create a career pipeline for K-12 populations, including underrepresented students, and professional development activities for secondary school teachers. Fifty (50) college students, 10 incumbent workers, 5 postsecondary faculty members, 20 high school teachers participating in faculty workshops and 40 high school students will gain knowledge and skills. Enrollment of underrepresented populations will increase by at least five percent through using diversity best practices. Dissemination will take place at regional and national levels. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the Nation’s economy.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.