Engineering Schools Offer Money, View into Energy Crisis
2023-06-18
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1At a recent International Energy Agency conference in Paris, government and business leaders said the world is making progress on clean energy projects.
2However, the world's energy demands keep growing.
3The leaders said there is an "urgent" need for investment in green energy and making better use of already existing energy.
4So, how are U.S. universities preparing their students to work on renewable energy projects?
5VOA Learning English recently visited with students in the ThinkEnergy Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University's Great Lakes Energy Institute.
6The university, known as CWRU, is in Cleveland, Ohio.
7The students spent one year learning from energy experts and working on a final project where they presented an energy business "pitch" to their classmates and advisers.
8Students receive money for being in the program, too, up to $10,000 for Ph.D. students.
9The money helps pay for school but also is supposed to be used as seed money for a business idea.
10The fellowship started in 2015.
11Each year, the program accepts 10 to 15 students at all stages of their academic careers.
12Derin Fasipe is among the fellows.
13He is working on an advanced degree in biotechnology.
14He is also working to start a sustainable energy business.
15Fellow Molly Egan will soon start her fourth year at CWRU.
16She studies chemical engineering and has an interest in wind energy.
17And, fellow Natasha Rouse recently completed her Ph.D. studies.
18She will continue working on mechanical engineering, robotics and machine learning projects.
19Jonathan Steirer is the program's operations manager.
20He said the goal is for students to "incubate" an idea and turn it into a business.
21Non-science students, such as those studying business and arts can also apply.
22When students from different academic backgrounds work together, Steirer said, a business student can learn a little about engineering and an engineer can learn about writing a business plan.
23At the end of the program, Steirer said, some students find a new study path that leads them to a career in energy.
24One group proposed a less-costly hydrogen power business called "Nu-H2."
25The group looked at "pink" hydrogen power, which is created with the energy that comes from already-existing nuclear power plants.
26Another group thought of a small solar-powered engine that could cool the air in a single room.
27That company is Sol-Air Cooling. Most people live in small homes, so the product could make a big difference.
28The third group worked on a solar energy marketplace for homeowners who want to use solar power without costly solar equipment.
29The group created a website for the marketplace called E-Gora.
30Natasha Rouse worked on that project.
31She saw the business as a chance for average people to make a difference on the climate crisis.
32"Frameworks like E-Gora will probably pop up in the next five, 10 years regardless. And those offer people kind of a lower-stakes way into this space. Right, you don't have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to put solar panels on your roof."
33Molly Egan worked on Nu-H2.
34For many energy projects, "the proof of concept and technology are ... right there," she said.
35But there are barriers to progress.
36She said the U.S. electricity grid is outdated as are rules about how to sell and provide electricity.
37There are similar programs at other universities, including Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Columbia University in New York City and the University of Rhode Island.
38One engineering school leader likes the "fellowship" model but wonders if it goes far enough.
39Ron Harichandran is the leader of the College of Engineering at the University of New Haven in Connecticut.
40He said most universities in the U.S. do not yet have a "clean energy" field of study. Maybe they should, he said.
41He said the world needs major change in the way it produces and uses energy.
42But he worries that universities "are a little bit scattered" in how they are training students.
43Perhaps, he said, mechanical engineers should be working on wind turbine projects.
44Electrical engineers should be learning how to move solar and wind energy back into the electric grid.
45Civil engineers should be learning about sustainable building methods and materials.
46Harichandran said the fellowship programs are helpful for students who are not completely sure of their interest in energy projects.
47But there is no guarantee how students might use the money or that they will follow through on their projects.
48After all, Harichandran said, the money the programs receive and provide to the students is a gift.
49He suggested the fellowship programs start to think in the same way as some of the large U.S. government organizations that provide financial aid for science.
50He mentioned research grants from places such as the Department of Energy, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
51They can get strong results because they have clear goals and deadlines.
52For example, a research team at CWRU recently won a grant of nearly $1 million from the NSF to work on a sustainable manufacturing project in Ohio.
53Fasipe, one of the CWRU students, made similar comments.
54He said solving the world's energy and climate change problem is "more complex" than just saying traditional energy production must end.
55He said costs must come down and businesses need to see that they can make money working in renewable energy.
56I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo.
1At a recent International Energy Agency conference in Paris, government and business leaders said the world is making progress on clean energy projects. 2However, the world's energy demands keep growing. The leaders said there is an "urgent" need for investment in green energy and making better use of already existing energy. 3So, how are U.S. universities preparing their students to work on renewable energy projects? 4VOA Learning English recently visited with students in the ThinkEnergy Fellowship at Case Western Reserve University's Great Lakes Energy Institute. The university, known as CWRU, is in Cleveland, Ohio. 5The students spent one year learning from energy experts and working on a final project where they presented an energy business "pitch" to their classmates and advisers. 6Students receive money for being in the program, too, up to $10,000 for Ph.D. students. The money helps pay for school but also is supposed to be used as seed money for a business idea. 7Who are the students? 8The fellowship started in 2015. Each year, the program accepts 10 to 15 students at all stages of their academic careers. 9Derin Fasipe is among the fellows. He is working on an advanced degree in biotechnology. He is also working to start a sustainable energy business. 10Fellow Molly Egan will soon start her fourth year at CWRU. She studies chemical engineering and has an interest in wind energy. 11And, fellow Natasha Rouse recently completed her Ph.D. studies. She will continue working on mechanical engineering, robotics and machine learning projects. 12What is the goal of the fellowship? 13Jonathan Steirer is the program's operations manager. He said the goal is for students to "incubate" an idea and turn it into a business. 14Non-science students, such as those studying business and arts can also apply. 15When students from different academic backgrounds work together, Steirer said, a business student can learn a little about engineering and an engineer can learn about writing a business plan. 16At the end of the program, Steirer said, some students find a new study path that leads them to a career in energy. 17What projects did the students pitch at the end of the year? 18One group proposed a less-costly hydrogen power business called "Nu-H2." The group looked at "pink" hydrogen power, which is created with the energy that comes from already-existing nuclear power plants. 19Another group thought of a small solar-powered engine that could cool the air in a single room. That company is Sol-Air Cooling. Most people live in small homes, so the product could make a big difference. 20The third group worked on a solar energy marketplace for homeowners who want to use solar power without costly solar equipment. The group created a website for the marketplace called E-Gora. 21Natasha Rouse worked on that project. She saw the business as a chance for average people to make a difference on the climate crisis. 22"Frameworks like E-Gora will probably pop up in the next five, 10 years regardless. And those offer people kind of a lower-stakes way into this space. Right, you don't have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to put solar panels on your roof." 23Molly Egan worked on Nu-H2. For many energy projects, "the proof of concept and technology are ... right there," she said. But there are barriers to progress. She said the U.S. electricity grid is outdated as are rules about how to sell and provide electricity. 24Are there problems with this kind of fellowship? 25There are similar programs at other universities, including Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Columbia University in New York City and the University of Rhode Island. 26One engineering school leader likes the "fellowship" model but wonders if it goes far enough. 27Ron Harichandran is the leader of the College of Engineering at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. He said most universities in the U.S. do not yet have a "clean energy" field of study. Maybe they should, he said. 28He said the world needs major change in the way it produces and uses energy. But he worries that universities "are a little bit scattered" in how they are training students. 29Perhaps, he said, mechanical engineers should be working on wind turbine projects. Electrical engineers should be learning how to move solar and wind energy back into the electric grid. Civil engineers should be learning about sustainable building methods and materials. 30Harichandran said the fellowship programs are helpful for students who are not completely sure of their interest in energy projects. But there is no guarantee how students might use the money or that they will follow through on their projects. 31After all, Harichandran said, the money the programs receive and provide to the students is a gift. 32A better way 33He suggested the fellowship programs start to think in the same way as some of the large U.S. government organizations that provide financial aid for science. 34He mentioned research grants from places such as the Department of Energy, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). They can get strong results because they have clear goals and deadlines. 35For example, a research team at CWRU recently won a grant of nearly $1 million from the NSF to work on a sustainable manufacturing project in Ohio. 36Fasipe, one of the CWRU students, made similar comments. He said solving the world's energy and climate change problem is "more complex" than just saying traditional energy production must end. He said costs must come down and businesses need to see that they can make money working in renewable energy. 37I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo. 38Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. 39_____________________________________________________________________ 40Words in This Story 41dramatic -adj. sudden and extreme 42pitch -n. a casual term used to describe the presentation of an idea, often used in business 43academic -adj. describing something to do with school, often the long-term process of working in education 44advanced degree -n. a level of education that is beyond what most people achieve, such as a masters or doctoral degree 45seed money -n. the money an investor gives a person who wants to start something new, such as a business 46incubate -v. the time needed for an idea to mature, comes from the term often used to describe how birds keep their eggs warm before they hatch 47scattered -adj. not well-formed, all over the place, without a central organization 48wind turbine -n. a machine powered by wind that generates power 49solar panel -n. an electrical device that collects energy from the sun and passes it along to a battery or power center that can then distribute it to something that needs power 50grid -n. a term used to describe the network of power plants, cables and more that deliver energy to the end user 51sustainable -adj. something that can last and be repeated for a long time 52___________________________________________________________________ 53We want to hear from you. If you are an engineer, let us know how concerned you are about the world's energy problem. 54We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 55Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.