Interactive Virtual Laboratory: Using Renewable Energy Experiments to Enhance Student Engagement in STEM

据估计，到2050年，地球人口将增至90亿。伴随着对能源需求的增加，需要找到除化石燃料（目前约占世界能源的86%）之外的其他能源。人们对利用可再生能源（如太阳能和风能）来清洁生产电力的兴趣越来越大。该项目的总体目标是大幅增加拥有可再生能源和电力工程知识和技能的大学毕业生人数，以确保为未来做好充分准备的美国劳动力。目标是：1）开发用于研究分布式发电系统的虚拟实验室; 2）为虚拟实验室平台创建创新教材; 3）让大学生参与高中生可再生能源技术的指导。虚拟实验室将是互动和参与，以激发学生对STEM的兴趣。拟议中的虚拟实验室和智能电网原型将把PI的尖端电力系统研究与现代电力系统教育课程相结合。这将大大提高在可再生能源领域培养学生的能力和效率。课程改进和新的学习材料将侧重于可再生能源方面的实际问题。将建立一个互联网门户网站，允许大学生和大学预科生实验分布式发电系统，并收集工程活动的数据。通过绘制和分析数据，学生将了解智能电网不同配置的相对优势。要调查的研究问题将获得答案，这将导致产生有关可再生能源交互式虚拟实验室对大学生及其高中学员的影响的有用知识。虚拟实验室还将提供与其他教育机构建立联系的机会，并为学生和教师提供一个方便的平台，以联合收割机结合可再生能源的教学和研究活动。

By the year 2050, it is estimated that Earth's population will rise to nine billion. The accompanying increased demand for energy requires that sources other than fossil fuels (currently about 86% of the world's energy) be found. There is growing interest in utilizing renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power for clean production of electric power. The overall goal of the project is to significantly increase the number of college graduates with renewable energy and power engineering knowledge and skills in order to ensure a well-prepared US workforce for the future. The objectives are 1) to develop a virtual laboratory for studying distributed power generation systems; 2) to create innovative teaching materials for the virtual laboratory platform; and 3) to engage college students in the mentoring of high school students on renewable energy technologies. The virtual laboratory will be interactive and engaging to stimulate students' interest in STEM. The proposed virtual laboratory and prototype smart grid will integrate cutting-edge power systems research by the PIs with a modern power systems educational curriculum. It will greatly improve the capacity and effectiveness to train students in the renewable energy field. The curricular enhancements and new learning materials will focus on authentic problems in renewable energy. An internet portal will be constructed to permit college and pre-college students to experiment with a distributed power generation system and collect data for engineering activities. By graphing and analyzing the data, students will acquire insight on the relative advantages of different configurations of the smart grid. The research questions to be investigated will procure answers that will result in the generation of useful knowledge about the impact of renewable energy interactive virtual labs on college students and their high school mentees. The virtual laboratory will also provide the opportunity to network with other educational institutions as well as a convenient platform for students and faculty to combine teaching and research activities on renewable energy.