An Interdisciplinary Scholarship Program for Undergraduates in Renewable Energy

AbstractAn S-STEM可再生能源奖学金计划是为有才华的学生启动的，他们需要在堪萨斯大学（KU）完成四年的STEM学科学士学位。 一个跨学科的STEM教师团队聚集在一起，提供可再生能源培训和专业发展导师。这些学生是从KU、Haskell印第安民族大学（Haskell）和约翰逊县社区学院（JCCC）招募的。建议的目标有三个方面。首先，制定了一项积极的计划，每年在相关的STEM学科中招募16-20名学生（至少一半来自Haskell和JCCC），特别强调招募，培训和指导来自代表性不足群体的学生。第二，互动式教学/指导是建立教师导师和他们的学生谁经历了一系列不同的活动之间的强有力的个人互动。这些活动包括队列课程，视频研讨会，重点讲座（在所有三个校区），实地考察当地可再生能源设施，以及跨学科研究项目和专门为STEM学生设计的能源相关实习。第三，各种各样的外展活动利用和协助招募的学者，包括访问当地的高中和大学，参加K-12纳米技术研讨会（通过KU的自然历史博物馆），并通过现有的REU（本科研究）计划组织公开对话。

AbstractAn S-STEM Renewable Energy Scholarship program is initiated for talented students with demonstrated financial need to complete four year bachelor degrees in STEM disciplines at the University of Kansas (KU). An interdisciplinary STEM faculty team is assembled to provide training in renewable energy and mentorship for professional development. The students are recruited from KU, Haskell Indian Nations University (Haskell), and Johnson County Community College (JCCC). The proposal objectives are three-fold. First, an aggressive plan is in place for recruitment of a group of 16-20 students each year (with at least half from Haskell and JCCC) in relevant STEM disciplines with a special emphasis on recruitment, training, and mentoring of students from underrepresented groups. Second, interactive teaching/mentoring is building strong personal interactions between the faculty mentors and their students who experience a diverse set of activities. These activities include cohort courses, video seminars, focused lectures (at all three campuses), field trips to local renewable energy facilities, and interdisciplinary research projects and energy related internships crafted specifically for STEM students. Third, a diverse spectrum of outreach activities utilizes and assists the recruited scholars, including visits to local high schools and colleges, participating in K-12 Nanotech workshops (through KU's Natural History Museum), and public dialogs organized through existing REU (undergraduate research) programs.