The two major goals of this multi-disciplinary project in engineering and mathematics are to 1)increase the professional caliber of our STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduate students and equip them with the skills and experiences to become future leaders in academia and industry; and 2)provide resources and support for the newly formed State of Alabama high school Engineering Academies and create materials that integrate engineering applications into existing high school and middle school science and math courses. The multi-disciplinary theme of the project, Sustainability in Energy Systems, includes transformative research on alternative and traditional energy systems, including renewable resources in consideration of their environmental impact. This project strongly emphasizes the integration of graduate research with K-12 education to collaboratively design and deliver K-12 STEM instruction.
Graduate fellows will work on-site in the Sumter County schools. Sumter County ranks among the poorest counties in the state and nation by every measure of poverty, including school performance. The faculty and student body at all Sumter Co. public schools are over 95% African American. Fellows, working with K-12 teachers, will be challenged to connect with students from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds in an appropriate way to enhance knowledge and engage, motivate and build confidence in the students regarding STEM careers. In addition, materials developed for Sumter County schools will be offered to other state schools using real-time and archived cyber infrastructure resources.
One major goal of this project was to provide graduate students in engineering and mathematics with increased development of professional skills needed by future leaders in academia and industry. These skills include communication, collaboration, and teaching skills. Many companies sponsor engineers with advanced degrees from other countries due to the lack of US citizens who have the needed technical and leadership skills. Over the life of this project, 26 graduate students participated. Of these students, three are currently finishing their degrees, one is working as a high school math teacher, six are college or university faculty, and the rest work in industry or in government doing technical work for either the VA or the Army Corps of Engineers. In addition to the students who participated directly in this project, materials that aid graduate students to become better leaders are being expanded to provide future students with additional learning opportunities. A number of these graduate students also participated in international travel in the third world to give them a better understanding of the need for sustainable energy systems around the world. An example of this included installing solar lighting in rural villages in Peru. While the isolated location of these villages essentially guarantees that they will never be on any type of power grid, small amounts of solar electricity can change the way that their residents interact as a community. A second major goal of this project was to integrate engineering applications into lessons in existing high school and middle school math and science courses in rural Alabama. In addition to activities related to solar energy, a variety of activities were created incorporating topics such as energy use in prosthetic arms, wind energy, biomimetic heat exchangers, design to withstand earthquakes, bicycle gearing systems, water infrastructure and public health, and many more. Several outreach programs have blossomed from the relationships formed between the University of Alabama and Sumter County Schools. Now projects are available to students in other surrounding school systems in the state of Alabama. These include Rockets and Racecars as well as Wow! That's Engineering! and others. Rockets and Racecars allows students to make modifications on small-size rockets and racecars to see how performance changes with design. These platforms are used to give the students the opportunity to see various mathematical and scientific principles in action with engaging devices. While Rockets and Racecars can provide students with multiple sessions of engineering activities, Wow! That's Engineering! is a one-day event that immerses middle school students into the world of an engineer. Activities often focus on a theme such as energy or design, and activities such as bridge building or creating a vehicle fueled by a renewable energy source (solar or wind) have been completed with middle school students from rural Alabama.
