2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Alabama Energy Transformation Initiative (AETI), a Department of Energy Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize Winner, explored ways in which energy science and management training can fit into secondary and higher education. The project investigated student learning outcomes and the program's impact on their attitudes toward clean energy. AETI aims to educate underrepresented minority (URM) Alabamian students about clean energy practices while providing training for future career opportunities. Many of the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, AL area communities are disadvantaged in clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, and workforce development. The collaborative team for the initiative included The University of Alabama (UA) Engineering and Political Science, Energy Alabama (a nonprofit organization), the Alabama Industrial Assessment Center (AIAC), and local majority-minority high schools.
Most of the UA participants are URM students in STEM.

One of the main outcomes of this project was providing students with industrial energy assessment training via a multi-layer peer mentoring system. This gave students the opportunity to participate in energy assessments for small and medium-sized businesses. Additionally, in partnership with a local non-profit, Energy Alabama, the project aimed to educate up to 50 high school students at 2 majority-minority schools with peer mentoring by college students.

Via surveys and interviews, we will evaluate students’ technical understanding, analyze how hands-on, real-world, and problem-based education affects students’ perception and disposition toward STEM and energy, and gauge students’ interest in continuing to pursue energy and STEM education and career. Additionally, we will study if URM mentors could have an impact on URM mentees to be more confident and interested in pursuing STEM/energy education and career. Energy and climate change issues in Alabama are related to the equity issue as the state is home to one of the highest household energy burdens and industrial energy use in the nation. Education and outreach are our main levers for supporting underserved and underrepresented groups.