REU Site: Integrating Research in Sustainable Energy and the Environment across Disciplines (IR-SEED)

非技术摘要：由工程教育和中心司支持的位于TAMUK的REU网站寻求在新兴的可持续能源领域提供有影响力的夏季研究经验，并为代表不足的学生扩大研究机会。这将使他们能够了解自己对科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)职业的能力和兴趣水平，并为他们的教育和职业发展的下一阶段做准备。REU网站的学术价值在于为下一代可持续能源研究人员建造了一条急需的新管道，以解决可持续能源研究以及社会和环境问题的广泛主题，这是一个具有地方意义和全球影响的主题。该项目提供的研究、教育和职业指导旨在鼓励学生以新的视角看待他们的学术工作，并为可能的学术研究或产业创新职业提供火花。参与的学生将研究各种能源研究主题，与教师导师和来自不同工程系的学生互动，并发展能源研究的整体视角。该网站旨在引导学生独立工作和作为研究团队的成员。每个学生将被要求为他们的研究撰写一份会议论文风格的报告以供发表，并在为期10周的课程结束时的海报竞赛中口头和海报陈述他们的暑期研究项目。REU网站符合TAMUK工程学院的一项倡议，该倡议旨在让本科生参与研究，并促进美国公民，特别是西班牙裔、非裔美国人和女性学生进入研究生院。REU网站建立在这样一个愿景之上，即从代表不足的学生中培养崭露头角的研究人员，以迎接能源研究的挑战，并培养积极为国家能源自力更生议程做出贡献的未来领导者。技术摘要：该REU网站由德克萨斯农工大学金斯维尔分校(TAMUK)托管，并得到国家科学基金会工程教育和中心分部的支持，旨在开发和实施一个多学科合作努力的模式环境，其中研究和教育紧密结合在能源研究的不同方面。它以为期10周的跨学科团队方法为特色，指导学生进行能源研究项目。拟议的可持续能源研究包括以下主要研究领域：1)可再生能源；2)传统清洁能源；3)能源政策、环境和社会影响。具体目标是：1)为本科生，特别是西班牙裔、非裔美国人和女性，提供可持续能源研究的不同方面的研究机会；2)增加参加研究生教育的人数；3)利用REU网站在TAMUK工程学院不同系的教职员工和学生之间建立合作联系。通过与在各自学科前沿工作的教师导师一起参与尖端研究，学生将参与关于可持续能源研究主题的复杂科学研究。该课程旨在教授学生如何提出研究问题，以及如何在他们的研究导师的指导下制定和修改研究计划。学生将学习独立工作，并在进行能源研究的特定主题的研究时与其他小组成员合作。来自不同工程和理工系的10名学生将通过全国范围的搜索进行招募，重点是西班牙裔、非裔美国人和女性学生。学生将在多个环境中报告和展示他们的研究成果。除了实践的协作研究体验，技术和社交活动将被纳入该计划，为学生提供坚实的分析、写作和演示技能基础，并加强REU学生和教师导师之间的互动。

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:The REU Site at TAMUK supported by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers seeks to provide an impactful summer research experience in the emerging field of sustainable energy and expand research opportunities for underrepresented students. This will enable them to understand their own levels of aptitude and interest in a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and give them the tools to prepare for the next stage in their education and career development. The intellectual merit of the REU Site lies in constructing a new and critically needed pipeline for the next generation of sustainable energy researchers, equipped to address the broad theme of sustainable energy research and social and environmental issues, which is a theme of local significance and global implications. The research, educational, and career mentorship provided by the program is envisioned to stimulate the students to look at their academic work in a new light and to provide a spark for possible careers in academic research or industrial innovation. Participating students will tackle various topics of energy research, interact with faculty mentors and students from different engineering departments, and develop a holistic perspective of energy research. The site is designed to guide students to work both independently and as members of a research team. Each student will be required to write a conference paper style report of their research for publication and deliver an oral and poster presentation of their summer research projects in the poster competition at the end of 10-week program. The REU site fits within an initiative in the College of Engineering at TAMUK to involve undergraduate students in research, and to boost the participation of US citizens, especially Hispanic, African-American, and women students into graduate school. The REU site builds on a vision of grooming budding researchers from underrepresented students to embrace the challenge of energy research and building future leaders who proactively contribute to the nation's energy self-reliance agenda.TECHNICAL SUMMARY: This REU Site hosted at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) and supported by the National Science Foundation's Division of Engineering Education and Centers is designed to develop and implement a model environment for multidisciplinary collaborative efforts where research and education are tightly integrated around the different facets of energy research. It features a 10-week interdisciplinary team approach to mentor students on energy research projects. The proposed sustainable energy research consists of the following major research areas: 1) Renewable energy 2) Traditional clean energy, and 3) Energy Policy, Environmental and Social Impacts. Specific objectives are to: 1) provide research opportunities in different aspects of sustainable energy research to undergraduate students, especially Hispanic, African-American, and women; 2) increase the number of underrepresented students who participate in graduate education; 3) use the REU site for building collaborative links among faculty and students from different departments within the college of engineering at TAMUK. Through participation in cutting-edge research with faculty mentors working at the forefront of their respective disciplines, students will engage in complex scientific studies on sustainable energy research topics. This program is structured to teach students how to formulate research questions as well as how to develop and modify research plans with the guidance of their research mentors. Students will learn to work independently and to collaborate with other group members as they conduct research in specific topics in energy research. Ten students from various engineering and science departments will be recruited through a nationwide search with special emphasis on Hispanic, African-American, and women students. Students will report and present their research results in multiple settings. In addition to the hands-on collaborative research experience, technical and social activities will be incorporated into the program to provide students with a solid foundation in analytical, writing, and presentation skills and to enhance interactions between REU students and faculty mentors.