RET Site: Collaborative Research: Sonoran Photovoltaics Laboratory: Energizing the STEM Pipeline through Citizen Science

RET 网站：合作研究：索诺兰光伏实验室：通过公民科学为 STEM 管道注入活力

• 批准号: 2055395
• 负责人: Kelly Potter
• 金额: $ 20.7万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-11-01 至 2024-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2055395&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RET; Site; Collaborative; Research; Sonoran

Advancing solutions to sustainable energy transitions, creating an informed citizenry, and building a highly skilled STEM workforce are all elements of successful energy system transitions for rural and urban communities. Addressing this grand challenge requires significant and balanced investments in solar energy research and education alike. Arizona State University and the University of Arizona will partner to create the Sonoran Photovoltaics Laboratory (SPV Lab) in order to inspire and enable educators. SPV Lab will promote the progress of science and engineering through this Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site which will position teachers to advance the energy revolution in two ways. First, they will directly contribute to research efforts that increase photovoltaic (PV) performance and resiliency. Second, these educators will develop and provide educational opportunities about solar energy that, in turn, inspire and enable the next generation of researchers and knowledgeable citizens. In relation to research and education, SPV Lab will also (a) broaden participation by students from racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented in engineering by engaging them in meaningful STEM learning; (b) create a sustainable, scalable model of teaching-learning focused on educating students’ understanding of the world’s current energy situation and associated socio-technical challenges; (c) build prototypes for standardized PV products implementable in diverse educational settings and data platforms sharable across school sites; and (d) foster university, school, and industry partnerships to support and expand K-12 education in photovoltaic systems. Together, these activities create a pathway to expand equitable and sustainable access to solar energy. Energy security remains a national priority, and the Sonoran Photovoltaics Laboratory (SPV Lab) RET aims to contribute to a national energy transition by increasing PV performance and educating the next generation of energy researchers and knowledgeable citizens, thereby creating a pathway to expand equitable and sustainable access to solar energy and to STEM education and career pathways. The SPV Lab RET will organize a regional approach to create an interconnected set of site-specific and use-inspired photovoltaic (PV) research projects for 4th-12th grade STEM teachers located in the Sonoran Desert region of the United States. SPV Lab faculty and graduate students will partner with teachers to sustain and spread PV research experiences to schools serving racial and ethnic minoritized students using shared PV data platforms and teacher-developed curriculum modules that engage students in PV citizen science. Each summer’s RET will begin with a 1-week, cohort orientation and PV bootcamp, followed by 5-week participation in integrated research projects at one of three laboratory site hosts: ASU’s Solar Power Lab (SPL), UA’s AzRISE/TEP PV test yard, and the agrivoltaics research center at Biosphere 2. The SPV program will embed teachers in research projects that seek to better monitor, characterize, predict, or optimize the performance of PV. These concerted research experiences will directly engage teachers in research with the potential to critically impact local investment in renewable energy generation. Video-conferencing will enable cross-site industry webinars and virtual lab tours, pedagogical workshops, and co-development of curriculum modules that transfer research to the classroom using a Citizen Science model. Modules will be shared broadly (open source) at an annual mid-year professional development workshop, at professional conferences, and on a project website. Faculty, students, and industry partners will mentor teachers and students across the year, helping them contribute to research and develop related community energy engineering projects that demonstrate the social value of improving PV performance for their local neighborhoods. The SPV Lab will: (a) advance the science, technology and sustainability of PV through research projects in which teachers participate, (b) function as a pilot for a sustainable, scalable model of teacher professional development in PV engineering education, and (c) foster a culture of citizen science in which student are active contributors to PV engineering research promoting critical, connected and collective engagement using theories and practices that support transformative learning.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

推进可持续能源转型的解决方案、培养知情的公民以及培养高技能的 STEM 劳动力都是农村和城市社区成功实现能源系统转型的要素，应对这一重大挑战需要对太阳能研究和教育进行大量、平衡的投资。亚利桑那州立大学和亚利桑那大学将合作创建索诺兰光伏实验室（SPV 实验室），以激励和支持教育工作者，SPV 实验室将通过该教师研究经验（RET）网站促进科学和工程的进步。首先，他们将直接为提高光伏（PV）性能和弹性的研究工作做出贡献；其次，这些教育工作者将开发和提供有关太阳能的教育机会，从而激发和促进能源革命。在研究和教育方面，SPV 实验室还将 (a) 通过让少数族裔学生参与有意义的 STEM 学习，扩大他们对工程学的参与； ，可扩展模型教学重点是教育学生了解世界当前的能源状况和相关的社会技术挑战；(c) 构建可在不同教育环境中实施的标准化光伏产品原型和可在学校各处共享的数据平台； 、学校和行业合作伙伴关系，支持和扩大 K-12 光伏系统教育，这些活动共同创造了一条扩大公平和可持续获取太阳能的途径。能源安全仍然是国家优先事项，索诺兰光伏实验室也是如此。 （SPV 实验室）RET 旨在通过提高光伏性能并教育下一代能源研究人员和知识渊博的公民，为国家能源转型做出贡献，从而为扩大公平和可持续地获取太阳能以及 STEM 教育和职业道路创造一条途径。 SPV 实验室 RET 将采取区域性方法，为美国索诺兰沙漠地区的 4 至 12 年级 STEM 教师创建一套相互关联的特定地点和受使用启发的光伏 (PV) 研究项目。研究生将与教师合作，利用共享的光伏数据平台和教师开发的课程模块，让学生参与光伏公民科学，以维持和传播光伏研究经验到为少数族裔学生服务的学校。每年夏天的 RET 将以 1- 开始。周、队列定向和光伏训练营，然后在三个实验室所在地之一参加为期 5 周的综合研究项目：亚利桑那州立大学太阳能实验室 (SPL)、UA 的 AzRISE/TEP 光伏试验场和Biosphere 2 农业光伏研究中心。SPV 计划将让教师参与研究项目，以更好地监测、表征、预测或优化光伏性能。这些协调一致的研究经验将直接让教师参与可能对当地产生重大影响的研究。视频会议将支持跨站点行业网络研讨会和虚拟实验室参观、教学研讨会以及共同开发课程模块，利用公民科学模型将研究转移到课堂上。 （开源）在年度年中专业发展研讨会、专业会议和项目网站上，教师、学生和行业合作伙伴将全年指导教师和学生，帮助他们为研究和开发相关的社区能源做出贡献。展示改善当地社区光伏性能的社会价值的工程项目 SPV 实验室将：(a) 通过教师参与的研究项目推进光伏的科学、技术和可持续性，(b) 作为试点。光伏工程教师专业发展的可持续、可扩展模型教育，(c) 培养公民科学文化，使学生积极为光伏工程研究做出贡献，利用支持变革性学习的理论和实践促进关键、互联和集体参与。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来提供支持。