The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has recently launched the Faculty-Applied Clean Energy Sciences (FACES) Program, which aims to establish connections between DOE laboratories and academic institutions, improve STEM education, and promote clean energy responsibility in social and environmental sciences. The program has selected its first set of faculty members 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 institutions (AANAPISIs).
The selected faculty cohort will be partnering with scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado for a 10-week summer program. Their main goal is to create educational modules focused on various clean energy subjects that can be adapted into the curricula at their home institutions and shared with other MSIs. This collaboration will help in the development of resources for teachers to support students interested in pursuing careers in clean energy.
“We’re thrilled to provide MSI faculty members with this opportunity to engage directly with DOE and national laboratories through FACES, expanding their research networks and empowering them to educate their students on cutting-edge clean energy science topics,” said Terrence Mosley, senior advisor for diversity and STEM in DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). “Through strong STEM education and diverse representation in the scientific workforce, the United States will be better positioned to build a sustainable future.”
