2021 Inaugural
RENEWABLE ENERGY EDUCATION SUMMIT
February 4th, 2021
Day-long, Virtual Gathering
Welcome
The Summit began with a welcome from our event leaders:
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Michael Arquin
Remy Pangle
Chaun MacQueen
Keynote
Cecilio Ortiz Garcia and Marla Perez-Lugo
kicked off our event with a talk that discusses energy infrastructure, focusing on the energy grid rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico.
Working Groups
At the Summit, discussions centered around three clean energy education themed strands.
Within those strands, working groups took up core questions at the center of the strand.
Student Experiences + Learning about Clean Energy
This strand addresses clean energy learning for all students, including student experiences and learning in school and out of school.
Working Group 1:
What are students learning in and out of school about clean energy?
What do students know and understand about clean energy?
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Working Group 2:
What are students learning in and out of school about clean energy?
What are the gaps and opportunities (i.e. in content, careers, experiences)?
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Working Group 3:
What are students learning in and out of school about clean energy?
What educational experiences equitably open up career and energy system participation opportunities?
Educator Knowledge + Learning
This strand addresses clean energy content, teaching and learning in pre-service teacher education, in-service professional learning, and postgraduate teacher education.
Working Group 4:
What are educators learning in their professional preparation and continuing education, both formally and informally, about clean energy?
What do educators need to know about clean energy?
How do we identify and address the gaps?
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Working Group 5:
How can we best equip educators to prepare students for careers
at all levels in the evolving clean energy sector?
What are the barriers for educators who want to teach about clean energy?
Clean Energy Talent Development + Career Pathways
This strand addresses current and imagined preparation, programs and pathways to develop the expertise and talent within the clean energy industry cluster to efficiently and effectively develop sustained clean energy policies and implementation.
Working Group 6:
What are the current and future clean energy career pathways within the clean energy economy for all students (including pathways for certificate, Associate, BA, Advanced Degree)?
How do students/educators learn about future energy careers pathways, and what resources are needed to help students learn about/transition after K-12 to a CTE or degree program in pursuit of a renewable energy career?
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Working Group 7:
What sorts of p-12 student curricular and programmatic offerings can cultivate student interest and access opportunities within the clean energy economy?
How can we better connect the renewable energy industry with students from all post-secondary institutions (universities, community colleges, technical schools)? What organizations exist today? Who is missing?
The Closing
We closed the event by reflecting on the day's conversations and making plans for next steps. The attendees met on Zoom to talk directly with the organizers and view the summary illustration by Viola Clark.
The Planning Committee
This incredible event would not have been possible without the dedicated effort by our planning committee.
Michael Arquin
Founder/Director
KidWind
Grace Mauro
KidWind Challenge Coordinator
KidWind
Jan DeWaters
Associate Professor
Clarkson University
Tyler Katzmar
STEM Educator
Renewable Energy Alaska Project
Dana Brown Haine
K-12 Science Education Manager and Director, NC Energy Literacy Fellows Program
UNC-Chapel Hill
Remy Pangle
Executive Director
REpowering Schools
Liz Parry
Partner
STEM Education Insights
Jeremy Stefek
Researcher
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Parker Mullins
Program Director, CE - Clean Energy. Bright Futures.
Bonneville Environmental Foundation
Chaun MacQueen
Senior Director, CE - Clean Energy. Bright Futures.
Bonneville Environmental Foundation
Cathy P. Lachapelle, PhD
Founder and Partner
STEM Education Insights
Joshua M Sneideman
Vice President
Learning Blade
Todd Rogers
President
Energy Training Solutions
Meghan Phadke
Program Director
KidWind
Erin Twamley
STEM Author and Educator
ErinEDU
Laura MacLachlan
PD Instructor and Energy Educator
Vermont Energy Education Program
Naomi Ochwat
Researcher
The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
Testimonials
The Renewable Energy Education Summit was an incredible event. It hosted great working groups to tackle the important questions for students, teachers, and the public, all while considering diversity, equity, and inclusion. It was a great to network with others who are also passionate about clean energy education. I look forward to continuing the conversations and work with the other organizers and participants!
Colleen Fisk
Renewable Energy Alaska Project
A clean energy transition will have unexpected effects on today and future youth, workers, and communities. In order to decarbonize, strong education and training systems are needed to build a well prepared, equitable workforce. Thanks to the REE Summit we were provided a space to share resources and experiences with fellow researchers, educators, and policymakers. This event will not only shape our work going forward but hopefully encourage further discussion.
Sade Nabahe
Massachusetts Institute for Technology
This was an exceptional event from start to finish, and the importance of the work started here cannot be understated. It was empowering to hear so many voices come together to share knowledge, ideas, strategies, and hope about the future of renewable energy education. Rarely have I walked away from a meeting or summit with the clarity of purpose delivered here. I cannot speak for everyone, but for K-12 education this matters.
Denise Weinhoeft-Renfro
Academy of Green Technology
Thank you to our sponsors!
