FREEDM Precollege Programs: Inspiring Generation Y to Pursue Careers in the Electric Power Industry

Author

Holbert, K.E. ; Grable, Lisa L. ; Overbay, Amy ; Nzekwe, Brandon J. O.

Author_Institution

Sch. of Electr., Comput. & Energy Eng., Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ, USA

Volume

29

Issue

4

fYear

2014

fDate

Jul-14

Firstpage

1888

Lastpage

1895

Abstract

An aging workforce and rapid growth in STEM-related occupations provide critical reasons to involve precollege students and teachers in science and engineering activities. Additionally, concerns about climate change and green energy sources provide motivation for students to pursue careers in the electric power industry. NSF-supported FREEDM ERC precollege programs address these issues through three components, which are described in this paper: 1) a Research Experience for Teachers; 2) a Young Scholars commuter program for high school students; and 3) week-long renewable energy camps for middle school students. Assessment results for the first four years of the effort at four university campuses are presented.

Keywords

electricity supply industry; power engineering education; FREEDM Precollege Programs; climate change; electric power industry; green energy sources; renewable energy camps; research experience for teachers; young scholars commuter program for high school students; Atmospheric measurements; Educational institutions; Engineering profession; Industries; Instruments; Particle measurements; Power engineering education; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM);

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Power Systems, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0885-8950

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TPWRS.2013.2293056

Filename

6681939