CEES has established multiple relationships with energy industry, and academic institutions. Phase II will expand these efforts and focus on bi-directional engagement rather than simply disseminating information in a one-way fashion. The Energy Engineering Research Initiative (EERLI) will engage local K-12 school districts and the local Houston-area community as described below:
Recruitment
To increase visibility and recruitment efforts, CEES will target local school districts, including Houston, Fort Bend, and Cy-Fair ISDs, through a 1-week summer camp for secondary school students and a 1-day curriculum camp for teachers, who will serve as campus ambassadors for CEES and PVAMU. Moreover, CEES will expand existing relationships with Lone Star and Houston Community Colleges to develop a pipeline for the engineering and science programs. CEES investigators will also give targeted presentations at HBCUs with engineering and science programs to recruit minority graduate students. CEES will leverage a number of existing university programs to support student recruitment and retention, including Supplemental Instruction, summer research programs, tutoring, mentoring, internships, scholarships the S-STEM program; and the Honors College. Ongoing evaluation will guide CEES’ efforts to enhance recruitment and retention outcomes.
K-12 Outreach
CEES will engage K-12 students by participating in activities established in the local area and through CEES-developed activities. Local area activities include the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston, where CEES will provide judges for energy-related projects and award certificates to innovative energy and environmental sustainability projects; and the national NEED Project 2019 in Galveston, TX, which focuses on energy curriculum development for K-12 teachers. The national NEED Project will allow an exchange between CEES research experts and educators, facilitated by EERLI, to formulate innovative K-12 classroom activities focused on energy and sustainability. CEES will develop activities/discussions during PVAMU’s Ag Field Day hosted in the College of Agriculture. This will include information on using agricultural materials (crops, wastewater, and sludge) to produce renewable/sustainable energy sources. CEES will also host an Energy Day in Years 1 and 2, leveraging infrastructure already in place for PVAMU summer outreach programs. Activities will include information sessions and learning experiences for middle and high school students and teachers, including demonstrations from CEES representatives.