April 24, 2008

Solar Center, Students to Benefit from NSF Grant

The NC Solar Center, part of the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University, and the Technology Education Program at the College of Education have received a grant from the National Science Foundation to help fund educational programs for North Carolina students.

The partners will receive a total of $199,986 from NSF, which will be used to fund GRIDc: Green Research for Incorporating Data in the Classroom.

GRIDc, a cooperative effort between the College of Engineering, College of Education and Pitt Community College, will work to help make the NC State Solar House a green learning lab for undergraduate students in engineering and science and technology education. The program will help these students learn about renewable energy technologies, and about how science and mathematics are used in the design and optimization of renewable energy systems.

GRIDc will also help educators develop new curricula for teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics by collecting and storing laboratory data. Having data from multiple systems stored at the Solar Center will allow NC State faculty and students to analyze, synthesize and evaluate data in many different contexts.

The North Carolina Solar Center was founded in 1988 through a joint effort between NC State, the state government and the solar energy industry. Since then, a wide array of research and outreach programs has allowed it to become one of the premier energy centers in the country. In addition to solar power, the Solar Center has programs that focus on biopower and wind energy, alternative fuels and alternative-fuel vehicles, green building design, and energy efficiency.

The College of Education’s Technology Education Program works to provide a technical foundation for a variety of employment opportunities, including certification as a teacher of technology education as well as non-certification options. The program focuses on many of the technology skills required by our society as it faces increasing competition in a global economy.

-daniel-

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