Research
Funded Research
NASA grant to help development of renewable energy technology courses
The Department of Engineering Technology and Survey Engineering along with the Southwest Technology Development Institute, a division of the Institute for Energy and the Environment, has received a grant from the New Mexico Space Consortium, through NASA EPSCoR. The grant will be used to develop two technical elective courses: Wind Energy Technology and Sustainable Building Design. These two courses will complete phase three of the on-going long-term implementation of sustainable engineering topics into the College of Engineering curriculum at NMSU. Phase three of the plan is to establish and sustain an educational minor in renewable energy technologies. Realization of the two courses involve developing all lectures, projects, feedback materials (homework, tests, quizzes, etc.) and any laboratory or applied exercises. Also foreseen are training for faculty through professional development and procurement of supplies required for the courses, laboratories, and demonstrations.
Additional objectives of this effort include: continuing to support the evolution of the recently developed and highly successful courses of phases one and two in the realization of the minor degree program in renewable energy technology. These courses are Renewable Energy Technologies and Solar Energy Technology. New funding will:
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provide assistantship-styled support and job training to undergraduate students;
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continue with and add to the data collection and assessment tasks needed to track the efficacy of the new curriculum on recruitment and retention, in particular those of traditionally underrepresented populations;
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provide educational opportunities toward the development of applied knowledge and technical skills in analysis and problem solving to those traditionally under-represented populations in engineering and technology; and
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continue to track and assess these efforts over time.