(194d) Hands-on Activities for Introducing High School Students to Alternative Energy and Climate Change

Alternative Energy and Climate Change are currently popular and commonly discussed topics of great world-wide significance to chemical engineers, practitioners, and the greater community of scientists. In an effort to engage local high school students from the surrounding communities of the New York City metropolitan area, a six-week hands-on and project-based approach to learning about the current challenges of renewable energy systems and climate change was developed as part of a Summer STEM Program at The Cooper Union. Through the design of experiments, small lectures, team-based activities, invited speakers, and field trips to nearby energy plants, students were introduced to the field of chemical engineering through the lens of renewable energy systems and climate change. In particular, a multi-week project involving different engineering aspects of biofuels production was included as a main focal point of the summer program.

Furthermore, this research-based opportunity provided students with activities to enrich their fundamental understanding of science, math, computational, and experimental skilIs. The students were also introduced to important economic, environmental, and global contexts and topics related to renewable energy and climate change. Examples of experiments performed during the program include testing the viscosity of oils and determining the specific heat of different substances. By studying these and other hands-on characterization techniques, students were able to apply this knowledge to the synthesis and characterization of biofuel derived from clean and waste resteraunt canola oil.