Author: US DOE Staff Published: 5/1/2024 Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
Minority-Serving Institutions’ Faculty Play a Pivotal Role in Advancing STEM Education
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the selection of the first faculty cohort for the groundbreaking Faculty-Applied Clean Energy Sciences (FACES) Program. This program aims to bridge the gap between DOE laboratories and the academic community, enhance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, and promote clean energy responsibility in social and environmental sciences. The FACES program, with a focus on providing real-world clean energy research opportunities, has made its final selections from minority-serving institutions (MSI) across the country, including Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions (ANNHSIs), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution (AANAPISIs).
Over the course of a 10-week summer program, MSI faculty will collaborate with scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. Their objective is to develop scalable education modules on various clean energy-related topics. These modules will be integrated into course curricula at the faculty’s home educational institutions and shared across MSIs, supporting teachers’ resource development to help students pursue careers in clean energy.
“We’re thrilled to offer MSI faculty the opportunity to engage directly with DOE and its national laboratories through FACES, which will expand their research networks and empower them to educate their students on cutting-edge topics in clean energy science. Through robust STEM education and diverse representation in the scientific workforce, America will be better equipped to build a lasting sustainable future,” said Terrence Mosley, senior advisor for diversity and STEM in DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
Contact EERE Media: ee.media@ee.doe.gov
The MSIs represented in this FACES Program cohort include:
- Alabama State University (HBCU)
- City University of New York, Brooklyn College (AANAPISI)
- Florida International University (HSI)
- Hawaii Pacific University (ANNHSI and AANAPISI)
- Howard University (HBCU)
- Metropolitan State University of Denver (HSI)
- Northern Arizona University (HSI)
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (HBCU)
- Northwest Indian College (TCU)
- University of Hawaii at Hilo (ANNHSI and AANAPISI)
- University of Hawaii at Manoa (ANNHSI and AANAPISI)
- University of Houston (HSI and AANAPISI)
- University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (HSI)
- University of New Mexico (HSI)
- University of Texas at Arlington (HSI and AANAPISI)
- University of Texas at El Paso (HSI)
“We are excited to partner with EERE and NREL to improve the future of STEM, not only through the faculty of minority-serving institutions but also through the students who will benefit from their knowledge and understanding, both in the classroom and as they enter the workforce of the future,” said Christy Jackiewicz, chief of the Minority Educational Institutions Division for DOE’s Office of Energy Justice and Equity.
The FACES Program is a collaborative effort between DOE’s NREL, Office of Energy Justice and Equity, and EERE. For more information, please visit the program website.
The Faculty-Applied Clean Energy Sciences (FACES) Program provides clean energy research opportunities to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) faculty from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). FACES is a new collaborative effort between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Justice and Equity (EJE) and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
The program’s goals are to promote diversity and inclusion in the energy sector and help teachers inspire STEM students to pursue careers in clean energy. This is achieved by:
- Bridging the gap between the research happening between DOE laboratories and the broader academic community.
- Facilitating learning and comprehension of key concepts, providing structured content that can be seamlessly incorporated into existing lessons.
Over the course of the 10-week program, participating faculty will work at NREL facilities and develop scalable education modules on topics like community engagement, human behavior, energy and environmental science, and artificial intelligence. Faculty will receive a weekly stipend for the duration of the program, along with travel reimbursement.