RII Track-2 FEC: Sustainable Engineering Infrastructures and Solutions for Tribal Energy Sovereignty

部落社区通常由分散在农村的人口组成，这些人口拥有分散的、规模较小的电力、热能和燃料能源系统，这些系统不太可靠，对气候变化导致的天气模式和严重程度的预期变化的适应能力也较差。为了协助解决这一问题并加强北达科他州和堪萨斯州EPSCoR辖区的研究基础设施，北达科他州大学与北达科他州州立大学和堪萨斯州立大学合作，哈斯克尔印第安人民族大学、海龟山区社区学院、Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish学院和部落研究网络小组将研究技术和方法，为部落能源主权提供可持续、可靠和高效的工程基础设施和解决方案。该项目还包括教育活动，包括培训部落成员发展部落民族劳动力并扩大他们的技术能力，以利用可再生能源建设部落能源复原力和独立性的任务。这一创新项目将与堪萨斯州和北达科他州的部落国家合作开发，其成果将从短期和长期的环境、经济和社会角度进行评估。将探索一套相互关联的技术，为部落社区提供潜在的解决方案，其中包括：1)可广泛扩展的供热和发电光伏-热能系统；2)强大的按需能源储存系统，用于电力、供暖和制冷；3)利用废物(如塑料)和非粮食农业资源(如玉米秸秆、小麦秸秆、废物和粮油)生产可再生燃料和电力，规模较小，几乎自给自足；以及4)电力微电网技术，根据需求和剩余情况采用并网和离网模式。相关的经济、可持续性和社会影响将被定义为部落国家用来支持他们的能源主权。该项目还将寻求扩大对如何最好地支持传统研究型大学STEM本地学生的理解，方法是创建一个方案，该方案将与三所部落学院合作制定，并在三所参与的研究型大学实施。工程计划的重点是加强本国学生进入STEM职业生涯的途径。RII EPSCoR Track-2项目还包括针对本地STEM学生的劳动力发展，以及使用基于项目的文化相关工程设计学习的K-12教师专业发展。对初级和中期教师参与者和研究生的发展和指导也是该项目的关键方面。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Tribal communities often consist of rural, spread-out populations with distributed, smaller-scale power, heat and fuel energy systems, which are less reliable and may be less resilient to anticipated shifts in weather patterns and severity due to climate change. To assist in addressing this issue and to strengthen the research infrastructure of the North Dakota and Kansas EPSCoR jurisdictions, the University of North Dakota in collaboration with North Dakota State University and Kansas State University, with participation by Haskell Indian Nations University, Turtle Mountain Community College, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, and the Tribal Research Network Group will research technologies and methods to provide sustainable, reliable and efficient engineering infrastructures and solutions for tribal energy sovereignty. The project also encompasses educational activities, including tasks that will train tribal members to develop tribal nation workforces and expand their technical capacity to implement renewable energy sources for building tribal energy resiliency and independence. This innovative project will be developed in partnership with tribal nations in Kansas and North Dakota and its outcomes will be assessed from environmental, economic, and social perspectives for both the short- and long-term. An inter-related suite of technologies will be explored to provide potential solutions for tribal communities including: 1) widely scalable photovoltaic-thermal systems for both heat and power; 2) robust on-demand energy storage systems for power, heating, and cooling; 3) the production of renewable fuels and power from waste materials (e.g. plastics) and non-food agricultural resources (e.g. corn stover, wheat straw, waste and crop oils) in small scale, nearly self-sufficient processes; and 4) power microgrid technologies with both on- and off-grid modes depending on demands and surpluses. The associated economic, sustainability, and social impact will be defined for use by tribal nations to support their energy sovereignty. This project will also seek to expand the understanding of how to best support native students in STEM at traditional research universities with the creation of a program that will be developed in collaboration with three tribal colleges and implemented at the three participating research universities. The INgineering program focuses on enhancing pathways into STEM careers for native students. This RII EPSCoR Track-2 project also includes workforce development for native STEM students and K-12 teacher professional development using project-based learning of culturally relevant engineering design. Development and mentoring for junior and mid-career faculty participants and graduate students are also key aspects of the project.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.