Sustainable Energy Education and Training (SEET)

The Sustainable Energy Education and Training (SEET) Project is being developed by the Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center (ATEEC) and partners to help build the capacity of energy and environmental technicians to meet the challenges of energy sustainability in the 21st century workplace. The SEET project will provide professional development training for 50 upper level high school and community college technology instructors. Training will focus on the areas of energy efficiency and energy conservation and will be delivered through two ten-day intensive annual workshops at national laboratories.

Over the two-year project period, content experts will share knowledge about research advances in energy technology, the implications for a sustainable energy future, and the current and potential requirements for technicians.  Instructors who participate in the annual workshops will be connected and supported by an active online network and workshop follow-up support. Sustainable energy knowledge  will be further extended to additional technology instructors through events facilitated by workshop participants in their home communities.

ATEEC, serving as lead partner for this project, will coordinate all aspects of the project with three major project partners: the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), and the Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE).

This project is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF Award No. DUE-0602633) and runs from October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2008.

2007 SEET Workshop

The 2007 workshop was held in Golden, Colorado at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on July 16-July 27, 2007. The workshop focused on content designed to use energy resources more efficiently, including renewable energy. The workshop provided small-group presentations and discussion with NREL research scientists; hands-on, inquiry-based lab experiences; take-home equipment and training; and site visits and field work. The workshop participants produced instructional materials, identified teaching and learning strategies and materials, and established a peer network to share with high school and two-year college educators in an online energy resources clearinghouse.

Topics covered at the 2007 workshop included:

• Climate change and renewable energy technology
• Renewable energy installations
• Wind technology
• Biofuel/bioenergy
• Solar energy
• Photovoltaic installation
• Lab-to-lesson models

Educational institutions represented at the 2007 workshop:

For more information, contact ATEEC by phone at 563.441.4097 or toll-free at 866.419.6761, or by e-mail at mdocherty@eicc.edu.