This year Virginia Legislature created a new Energy Career Cluster, and became the first in the nation to design eight new energy and sustainability courses to be offered to high school students, with hands-on STEM and STEAM activities modules for younger students in elementary and middle school. This session introduces technology-based activities, explorations and experiences that can be integrated within any curricula, ranging from World Languages to Physics and Social Studies. Standards-aligned activities help teachers guide students through the history and processes of harvesting of natural resources to new initiatives in wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, oceanic and even bio-digester energy sources and infrastructures, Activities also provide opportunities for participating in design challenges and competitions to showcase student innovations and Virginia Profile of a Graduate skills and understandings. College and career exploration activities are supported by regional energy industry companies and can lead to school-based partnerships.
Engineering and Education Research Faculty and Director, Virginia Tech DC Metro Area K-20 STEM Labs
Dr. James A. (Jim) Egenrieder is on the College of Engineering's Research Faculty and Director of the Virginia Tech DC Metro Area K-20 STEM Labs (VT DC STEM Labs, and formerly the Qualcomm® Thinkabit Labs™). He creates, develops, and facilitates programs (and funding) for technical... Read More →