Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability

位于Prairie View a&m大学（PVAMU）的CREST能源与环境可持续发展中心（CEES）汇集了来自2个学院和6个学术部门的教师和研究人员，专注于能源研究的三个广泛领域：1)生物燃料，2)风能和3)能源与环境。生物燃料和风能的研究将通过推进生物可再生能源和风能替代品，来解决减少温室气体（GHG）的需求。基础研究将解决与生物质转化为生物燃料和风能转化为风能的最佳转化有关的技术问题。能源与环境分项目将侧重于改进核能和化石燃料的利用，以支持对环境负责的能源生产和这些能源的消费。CEES的研究成果有望填补生物燃料产量、风力涡轮机设计和先进核反应堆方面的一些重要技术空白。该中心的第一个总体目标是在PVAMU能源工程领域建立一个国家认可的能源研究项目。这将通过利用目前在校园内资助的研究、教育和外展活动来实现；改善PVAMU的研究基础设施；建立外部研究合作；加强在PVAMU优势领域的能源工程研究。CEES的第二个总体目标是显著增加来自代表性不足群体的学生在STEM领域成功完成学士、硕士和博士学位的人数。CEES将努力鼓励学生在工业、学术界或国家实验室从事职业，特别是在可再生能源、环境和核工程等前沿工程领域。CEES将建立一个以能源工程为中心的多学科教育和研究社区，为本科生和研究生提供新的课程、研究经验、多层次的指导和大量的专业发展经验。该中心将与几所大学、工业伙伴和国家实验室合作，开展过渡性和变革性全球能源系统研究。研究子项目将侧重于优化生物燃料产量，开发适用于风力涡轮机研究的优化工具，涉及核能和风能系统的热电联产，常规、核能和可再生能源系统的生命周期评估；以及下一代核反应堆的燃料循环分析。CEES将帮助在能源工程领域建立一个由学生和教师组成的多学科教育和研究社区，并与各国建立伙伴关系。更广泛的影响pvamu是一所历史悠久的黑人大学（HBCU），在培养代表性不足的少数民族学生，特别是非洲裔美国人，从事STEM职业，包括高等学位教育方面有着良好的记录。拟议中的CREST将通过建立一个能源工程学习社区、能源工程本科辅修课程和能源工程硕士课程来加强这一能力。专注于学科领域的S学位。这个项目将产生新的课程材料。该项目将开发各种各样的教育和推广经验，重点是与其他研究型大学、行业和国家实验室建立伙伴关系，为PVAMU的学生提供机会，并为K-12和社区学院的学生提供渠道。该中心将与另外两个相关的CREST项目（加州州立大学洛杉矶分校和德州农工大学金斯维尔分校）建立有益的合作关系。

The CREST Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (CEES) at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) brings together faculty and researchers from 2 colleges and 6 academic departments to focus on three broad areas of energy research: 1) Biofuels, 2) Wind Energy, and 3) Energy and the Environment. The research in biofuels and wind energy will address the need to curtail green house gases (GHG) by advancing bio-renewable and wind substitutes for depleting fossil based hydrocarbons. Basic research will address technological problems associated with the optimal conversion of biomass into biofuels and wind into wind energy. The Energy and Environment subproject will focus on improvements in the nuclear and fossil fuel utilization to support environmentally responsible energy production and consumption from these energy sources. The research outcomes from CEES are expected to fill some important technological gaps in the biofuel production yields, wind turbine designs and advanced nuclear reactors. The first overarching goal of the Center is to build a nationally recognized energy research program at PVAMU in energy engineering. This will be accomplished by leveraging currently-funded research, education and outreach activities across the campus; improving research infrastructure at PVAMU; building external research collaborations; and enhancing energy engineering research in areas of strength at PVAMU. The second overarching goal of CEES is to significantly increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who successfully complete BS, MS and PhD degrees in STEM fields. CEES will strive to encourage students to pursue careers in industry, academia or national labs, particularly in the cutting-edge engineering fields of renewable energy, environmental and nuclear engineering. CEES will build a multi-disciplinary education and research community centered on energy engineering to provide new curricula, research experiences, multi-level mentoring and a host of professional development experiences for undergraduate and graduate students. Intellectual MeritThe proposed Center will involve collaborations with several universities, industrial partners, and national laboratories to conduct research on transitional and transformative global energy systems research. The research subprojects will focus on optimization of biofuels production yields, development of optimization tools applied to wind turbine research, cogeneration involving nuclear and wind power systems, life cycle assessment of conventional, nuclear and renewable energy systems; and fuel cycle analysis for next generation nuclear reactors. CEES will help to establish a multi-disciplinary education and research community of students and faculty, with national partnerships, in the area of energy engineering.Broader ImpactPVAMU is a Historically Black University (HBCU) with a strong record of preparing underrepresented minority students, particularly African Americans, for STEM careers, including advanced degree education. The proposed CREST will strengthen that capability by establishing an Energy Engineering Learning Community, and undergraduate minor in Energy Engineering, and a Master?s degree focused on the subject area. New curricular materials will result from the project. The project will develop a wide variety of educational and outreach experiences, with emphasis on partnerships with other research universities, industries, and national laboratories, to provide opportunities for students at PVAMU and for developing the pipeline of students from K-12 and community colleges. The Center will establish beneficial collaborations with two other, related CREST projects (at California State University-Los Angeles and at Texas A&M University at Kingsville).