IGERT: An Entrepreneurial Ph.D. Education in Fuel Cell Manufacturing, Materials Development, and Modeling

-燃料电池有可能成为满足我们下个世纪能源需求的关键解决方案之一。这些高效、环保的发电机正被开发用于运输、固定和便携式应用，但为了充分发挥其潜力，必须解决可靠性、性能、耐用性和成本等相互关联的问题。在这个项目中，研究生将接受这样的教育。该IGERT项目的智力优势和研究重点是燃料电池制造、材料开发以及设计、制造和操作的建模。由于创新、小公司和创业活动一直是就业增长的驱动力，因此教育的重点是培养具有深度和广度的博士生，以便学生能够在跨学科的研究、开发和商业情况下有效运作。学到的技能可以应用于任何职位或产品，无论是在工业、大学还是政府实验室。来自六个学术单位(工程、科学和商业)的教师将通过四种相互关联的技能集的教育和培训，培养博士生成为下一代思想家：1)知识和学习；2)沟通；3)团队合作和专业精神；4)创新和创业。该计划将包括学科课程和研究、燃料电池系统的新课程、企业家培训、在国内和国际地点的实习、协同学科实验室的轮换、涉及燃料电池技术、领导力、团队合作和道德的研讨会和研讨会，以及在校园和专业会议上的学生陈述。更广泛的影响包括降低燃料电池成本的潜在社会效益，以及通过与波多黎各大学建立伙伴关系扩大对这一研究领域的参与。IGERT是一个NSF范围内的项目，旨在应对培养具有跨学科背景、所选学科的深厚知识以及满足未来职业需求所需的技术、专业和个人技能的美国博士科学家和工程师的挑战。该项目旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训新模式，在超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中，催化研究生教育的文化变革。

----Fuel cells have the potential of becoming one of the key solutions to meeting our energy requirements over the next century. These high-efficiency and environmentally friendly power generators are being developed for transportation, stationary, and portable applications, but to fully realize their potential, the interrelated issues of reliability, performance, durability, and cost must be addressed. In this program graduate students will be educated to do just that. The intellectual merit and research focus for this IGERT program is fuel cell manufacturing, materials development, and modeling for design, manufacturing, and operation. Because innovation, small companies, and entrepreneurial activities have been drivers of job growth, the educational focus is on the development of Ph.D. students with both depth and breadth so that the students can operate effectively in interdisciplinary research, development, and commercial situations. The skills to be learned can be applied to any position or product, whether in industry, universities, or government labs. Faculty from six academic units (in engineering, science, and business) will educate Ph.D. students to become next-generation thinkers through education and training in four interrelated skill sets: 1) knowledge and learning; 2) communication; 3) teamwork and professionalism; and 4) innovation and entrepreneurship. The program will involve disciplinary courses and research, new courses in fuel cell systems, entrepreneurship training, internships at domestic and international locations, rotations through labs in synergistic disciplines, seminars and workshops that address fuel cell technology, leadership, teamwork, and ethics, and student presentations on campus and at professional meetings. The broader impacts include the potential societal benefit of reduction of cost in fuel cells, and broadening participation in this research area through a partnership with the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.