International Approaches To Renewable Energy Education – A Faculty Professional Development Case Study With Recommended Practices For STEM Educators

Calls for increased international competency in U.S. college graduates and the global nature of the renewable energy industry require an exploration of how to incorporate a global perspective in STEM curricula, and how to best develop faculty providing them with global knowledge and skills necessary to update and improve existing teaching practices. To expand awareness of the global renewable energy sector, a cohort of renewable energy educators from across the United States participated in two international learning exchanges to Australia/New Zealand and Germany/Denmark. The exchanges provided opportunities for the participants to meet with technical educators, visit teaching labs, review industry partnerships, talk with policy makers and government representatives, and to share knowledge and best teaching practices.  Three years after the initial international exchange, participant data was collected to measure the extended impact of the experience and the perceived value of various learning activities.  The results show that the exchanges expanded participant’s knowledge of renewable energy technologies and issues both in the U.S. and abroad, and also influenced teaching curriculum and instruction, and academic community engagement. This study serves as a model program for providing STEM faculty with rich international experience. The findings in this manuscript highlight the key components to building a successful international professional development program, and illustrate the type of impacts that can result from these activities.  The lessons learned are meaningful to other institutions or organizations planning similar international activities in a variety of disciplines.

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

From the Members' Perspective: Participants' Perception of the Moderator Role in Educator Communities of Practice

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08The community of practice (CoP) social/collaborative learning model has been widely adopted since its introduction by Jean Lave and Entienne Wenger in 1991, with growth spurred on as practitioner groups increasingly leverage technology to overcome geographically dispersed memberships. The purpose of this study was to address a gap in the literature which identifies the CoP moderator role as an overarching success factor but has not provided research results into the moderator role from the perspective of the membership. Survey methodology was employed to identify the perceived value a sample of 84 members of three educator CoPs assigned to specific moderator actions and characteristics identified in the literature as corresponding to CoP success, and to examine the influence member demographics may have on the member value perceptions. Findings indicate CoP members uniformly value moderator actions and characteristics that cultivate a culture of inquiry, mutual engagement, sustainability, and that support an architecture of participation; these perceived valuations do not appear to be influenced by member demographics. This study has sought to contribute to the body of literature concerned with the support and management of communities of practice particularly in the education sector and contributes to a new line of research into the impact of the moderator role on CoP effectiveness and success

International Faculty Professional Development: Utilizing Hybrid Environments to Deepen Learning and Grow Community

This article, published by the Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, provides information about a faculty study abroad program. In 2019, the NSF-ATE CREATE Energy Education Center took a group of renewable energy educators to Germany to study innovations in renewable energy and energy storage. Educators also learned how these emerging technologies are incorporated into educational programming and workforce preparation. Learning activities conducted before, during, and after travel ensured participant preparedness, academic rigor, constructive reflection, and collaborative knowledge-building. This paper presents an analysis of accumulated participant data and presents recommendations for enhancing faculty learning when conducting international educator professional development program

International Approaches To Renewable Energy Education â A Faculty Professional Development Case Study With Recommended Practices For STEM Educators

This 20-page article is provided by the American Journal of Engineering Education and discusses the findings from two international learning exchanges. These exchanges were conducted by the California Regional Consortium for Engineering Advances in Technological Education (CREATE), now the Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education Resource Center (CREATE). These learning exchanges focused on renewable energy education and expanding awareness of the global renewable energy sector. Fourteen educators participated in the exchange and met with technical educators; visited renewable energy labs; reviewed industry partnerships; and met with policy makers and government representatives in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Denmark. The following sections are included: Introduction; Purpose; Methods: German Learning Exchange - 2014, Knowledge Building Activities, and Measuring Impacts on Educational Practice; Results: Impacts on Teaching Practice, Impacts on Curriculum, Impacts on Professional Knowledge, Impact on Community Engagement and Dissemination, Impact on Teaching Perspectives and Professional Growth, and Perceived Value of Project Learning Activities; Conclusion: Internationalizing STEM Education and Addressing the Skeptics; Summary; Acknowledgements; Author Biographies; and References.&nbsp

Renewable Energy Technician Education: The Impact of International Faculty Collaboration

This 39-page article is provided by Career Education in Renewable Energy Technology (CERET) and the Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education Resource Center (CREATE) and discusses the findings from two international learning exchanges that were focused on renewable energy education and expanding awareness of the global renewable energy sector. Fourteen educators participated in the exchange and met with technical educators; visited renewable energy labs; reviewed industry partnerships; and met with policy makers and government representatives in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Denmark. These exchanges expanded the participants knowledge of renewable energy advances, technologies and issues, and influenced teaching practices, curriculum development, and academic community engagement. This article includes short author biographies and the following sections: Abstract; Introduction; Context - Participants, Australia Itinerary 2013, Germany Itinerary - 2014, Knowledge-Building Activities; Methodology - Approach, Instrument Design; Results - Impacts on Teaching Practice, Impacts on Curriculum, Impact on Professional Knowledge, Community Engagement and Dissemination, Perceived Value of Project Learning Activities; Discussion; Conclusion; Acknowledgements; References; List of Figures with Captions; List of Tables with Captions; and Appendices.Â

Attraction of Culex pipiens to uropygial gland secretions does not explain feeding preference for American robins

Culex pipiens, the endemic mosquito vector of West Nile virus in eastern North America, is responsible for maintenance of the virus in avian reservoir hosts, the most important of which appears to be the American robin. One reason for the greater involvement of robins is believed to be the feeding preference of Cx. pipiens, however, the basis of this preference is not understood. We tested the hypothesis that the species‐specific chemical profile of avian uropygial gland secretions are used by Cx. pipiens as cues to locate birds and, therefore, may contribute to the observed feeding preferences. We used gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry to identify the semi‐volatile components of the uropygial gland secretions of American robins and two other common reservoir host species, the house sparrow and European starling. We found that the chemical composition of the robin secretions was different from those of the sparrows and starlings. Through behavioral choice trials conducted in a dual‐port olfactometer, we also found that Cx. pipiens did not prefer the secretions of robins over the other two species. Surprisingly, however, we found that Cx pipiens were more often attracted to live starlings over robins and to the secretions of starlings over those of robins

Second asymptomatic carotid surgery trial (ACST-2) : a randomised comparison of carotid artery stenting versus carotid endarterectomy

Background: Among asymptomatic patients with severe carotid artery stenosis but no recent stroke or transient cerebral ischaemia, either carotid artery stenting (CAS) or carotid endarterectomy (CEA) can restore patency and reduce long-term stroke risks. However, from recent national registry data, each option causes about 1% procedural risk of disabling stroke or death. Comparison of their long-term protective effects requires large-scale randomised evidence. Methods: ACST-2 is an international multicentre randomised trial of CAS versus CEA among asymptomatic patients with severe stenosis thought to require intervention, interpreted with all other relevant trials. Patients were eligible if they had severe unilateral or bilateral carotid artery stenosis and both doctor and patient agreed that a carotid procedure should be undertaken, but they were substantially uncertain which one to choose. Patients were randomly allocated to CAS or CEA and followed up at 1 month and then annually, for a mean 5 years. Procedural events were those within 30 days of the intervention. Intention-to-treat analyses are provided. Analyses including procedural hazards use tabular methods. Analyses and meta-analyses of non-procedural strokes use Kaplan-Meier and log-rank methods. The trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN21144362. Findings: Between Jan 15, 2008, and Dec 31, 2020, 3625 patients in 130 centres were randomly allocated, 1811 to CAS and 1814 to CEA, with good compliance, good medical therapy and a mean 5 years of follow-up. Overall, 1% had disabling stroke or death procedurally (15 allocated to CAS and 18 to CEA) and 2% had non-disabling procedural stroke (48 allocated to CAS and 29 to CEA). Kaplan-Meier estimates of 5-year non-procedural stroke were 2·5% in each group for fatal or disabling stroke, and 5·3% with CAS versus 4·5% with CEA for any stroke (rate ratio [RR] 1·16, 95% CI 0·86-1·57; p=0·33). Combining RRs for any non-procedural stroke in all CAS versus CEA trials, the RR was similar in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (overall RR 1·11, 95% CI 0·91-1·32; p=0·21). Interpretation: Serious complications are similarly uncommon after competent CAS and CEA, and the long-term effects of these two carotid artery procedures on fatal or disabling stroke are comparable