K-12 Initiatives

AIChE’s SEF and Energy Initiatives Board Announce Undergraduate Competition

The AIChE’s Sustainable Engineering Forum and Energy Initiative Board announce a competition to promote energy education in K-12 schools for 2009. The program will pair teams of AIChE student chapters and an area K-12 school to work together to develop a hands-on learning activity that addresses curricular needs using energy concepts. $2,500 prizes will be awarded. Application materials are due December 1, 2009.

The program was piloted in 2008, and the three AIChE student chapter projects will be featured at the AIChE annual meeting in Nashville. Here are the 2008 Winners:

• Oregon State University is working with Corvalis High School for production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil. This activity will also use the waste glycerin to make soap and possibly even to make a biodegradeable polymer.
• UCLA, working with John Burroughs Middle School in Los Angeles and Mar Vista Central High School in Culver City, seeks to engage middle school and high school students in alternative energy technology and environmental education through a 4-series workshop.  The concept of the curriculum is to teach the consequences of using alternative energy.
• Youngstown State University will partner with William S. Guy Middle School to develop a kit for the classroom teacher which contains all of the instructions and materials needed to carry out a student-run project in which the growth of algae for the capture of CO2 and later production of biodiesel is optimized.