Solar Energy Technology Education

Portland State University

Carl C. Wamser (Chemistry)
Pah I. Chen (Engineering)
Ron Narode (Education)
NOVA Project for 2001
Summary
This project will redesign one course and
create a new course, aimed for nonmajors
and current and future teachers:
 SCI 321 - Energy and Society (spring 2001)
 SCI 322 - Solar Energy Technology
Education (summer 2001)
FOR MORE INFO...

A preliminary web page has been started at:

http://chem.pdx.edu/~wamserc/solar/
 General Course Goals

These courses are part of the PSU Science Cornerstone Project, with
goals to make science accessible for ALL students so that they can:
 understand and apply fundamental principles from one or more areas of
scientific inquiry,
 experience the methods and processes of scientific inquiry, including
experimental design, the recording, quantification, and interpretation of
observations, and the effective communication of results,
 access and utilize scientific information and concepts in support of their
life roles as individuals, citizens, learners, consumers, producers, and
family members,
 comprehend the power and the limitations of science as a way of
understanding the world, including ways of dealing with uncertainty,
 recognize the interactions between science and other human endeavors.
 SCI 321 - Syllabus
 Study of the energy problem: a complex societal problem which
has a major technical component.
 Designed to help non-science majors understand the technical side
of the energy problem as well as the multidisciplinary effects of
technical decisions on the social, political, and economic
framework.
 Examination of energy requirements and usage, energy resources,
methods for producing energy, environmental and economic
implications of energy production, energy conservation, and energy
policies.
 Power production techniques utilizing coal, nuclear, solar, wind,
geothermal, and other energy sources will be studied.
 SCI 322 - Syllabus
 Energy - sources, measurements, interconversions
 Renewable energy - water cycle, carbon cycle, wind
energy, geothermal, other resources
 Solar energy - passive solar, architectural design, solar
collectors, photosynthesis
 Photovoltaics - semiconductor properties, performance
criteria, manufacturing, economic and strategic issues,
system installation, data collection and analysis,
educational uses
 Course Pedagogy
 Both the NCTM Principles and Standards and the National
Science Standards advocate methods of instruction that
draw on student prior knowledge to build conceptual
bridges to the powerful ideas in mathematics and science.
 The context for this is usually in problem solving and field
and laboratory investigations, where students work
cooperatively to explore and communicate their thoughts
and discoveries.
 Our courses will focus on these activities and skills for the
majority of class time, and assessments will also vary so
as to include individual journals, group presentations, field
trips, lab work, class projects, and final reports and
presentations.
SCI 321 - Lecture Topics

Power Plant Comparisons:

 Fossil fueled
 Fuel cell
 Geothermal
 Hydropower
 Nuclear
 Ocean tidal
 Solar
 Wind
 SCI 321 - Recitation Topics

 Power requirements of household appliances:

Refrigerator-freezer, Stove, Light bulbs, Oven, Water
heater, Television, Garage door opener, Dishwasher,
Laundry washer and dryer
 Heating load of a 3 bedroom ranch style house (1200 ft2)
in the Pacific Northwest and improvement by insulation
 Global warming – research using the Internet
 Energy conservation
 SCI 321 - Field Trips

 Bonneville Dam Hydropower Plant (1250 MW)

 Marion County Wastes-to-Energy Facility (27 MW)
 Columbia Boulevard Waste Treatment Fuel Cell Power
Plant (300 KW)
 SCI 321 - Class Projects (1999)
• “Design and Construction of a Small Scale Model of Hydro-power
Plant” – by Scott Reed
• “Design of a Windmill Power Plant for a Township” – by Vivian
Ahn, Kimmy Chang and Tarlan Torabi
• “Development of a Lesson Plan for 5th and 6th Graders” – by J.
Porter
• “Fuel Cell Technology” – by L. Lim, M. Hritova, and A. Stefanovic
• “Environment Effects of Hydro-power Plants” - by Jason Bryan,
Heidi Brotherton, and Tim North
• “Environmental Effect of Power Generation in Oregon and
Possible Solutions” – by Jared Smith and Devin Stinger
• “Environmental Effects of Nuclear Power” – S. Koepping & T.
Hawlett
• “Study of Air Pollution from Energy Generation” – by Matthew
 SCI 321 - Class Projects (2000)

• “Comparing Hybrid Vehicles: Toyota Prius and Honda

Insight” – by P. Cathey, S. Strang, and E. Arnsberg
• “The Future of Solar Technology: A Study in
Residential Application” – by Nancy Bliss, and Rachel
Burr
• “The Self-sufficient Home” – by Theron Luttmann,
John Petkovich, and Jake Batty
• “Passive Solar Construction: Attached Sunspace
Design with Solar Water Heating” – by Allison
Anderson, Robert Gibbens, and Daniel Martinez
• “Tidal Basin Power: Potential Energy Resource” – by
Rose Mitchell and Juan Carlos Nuno
SCI 321 - Windmill Design & Testing

 Each student designed and constructed a small windmill

according to specifications
 The windmills were tested for performance
 PV System Installation
 Students in the summer course will have the opportunity
to assemble and install a complete photovoltaic system
on the roof of one of the PSU science buildings.
 Data from the PV system will be constantly monitored
and made available over the internet and shared with the
solar monitoring program at the University of Oregon.
 PGE has a new program of donations of PV systems to
high schools. We expect to attract current and future
teachers to the course and explore how they may most
effectively use such systems for educational purposes.
Evaluation & Assessment
As part of the Science Cornerstone curriculum,
these courses will be subject to comprehensive
assessments based on a well established set of
learning objectives that have been developed by
University Studies and the Science Cornerstone
Project. These assessments are conducted
summatively.
We will conduct a midterm evaluation of each of
the courses to permit formative assessment and
revisions, and we will use the OCEPT survey for
prospective science teachers to assess the impact
of the course on changing students’ perceptions of
science education.
 Action Research & Assessment

Possible Research Topics:

1) The use of engineering as an integrative discipline for
prospective science teachers;
2) The role of field trips to promote student engagement;
3) The value of hands-on research in conveying the
scientific enterprise to prospective teachers;
4) The effect of standards-based pedagogy on changing
the epistemology of prospective science teachers;
5) The effect of pedagogy in teaching to diverse student
populations in upper-level science courses.
NASA Strategic Enterprises
Earth Science
 Applying Remote Sensing Research to Earth Science Problems
NASA’s remote sensing data on weather, cloud cover, ocean
currents, climatic changes, and ozone concentration, as well as
petroleum, volcanic, asteroid and seismic activity will be used
throughout the courses.
 Adapting Space Science Technologies to Earth Science Applications
Students in the second term course will build, monitor, and study
energy production through photovoltaics -- a space-based
technology with viable application on Earth.
 Increase Public Understanding of Earth System Science
Preservice teachers will be advised into these courses for both their
content and pedagogy. A particular outcome of the summer course
will be to create curricular materials suitable for K-12 students.
 Outreach & Dissemination
 Summative Evaluation Report to Portland State University General
Education faculty and administration, Summer 2002
 Paper Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Oregon Academy
of Science, Winter 2002
 Panel Presentation at the Annual Showcase Meeting of the Oregon
Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers,
Summer 2002
 Report to Portland General Electric for incorporation and
dissemination through PGE’s Solar Education Project
 Dissemination to the network of 45 teachers associated with the
PSU Horizons Project
 Publicity to local school districts and their science faculty for
Professional Development Units applicable for continuing state
teacher licensure
 Acknowledgements

Funding Sources
 NOVA Program
implementation planning grant, 2001

 Portland General Electric

donation of a complete photovoltaic system

 Portland State University

support for PI time and travel, supplies

 OCEPT
(Oregon Collaborative for Excellence in Preparation of Teachers)
support for consultants, PI travel
 Acknowledgements
Advisory Board
Dr. Dean Livelybrooks, University of Oregon, Physics Department.
Dr. Gilbert Yanow, Director, NSF California Chautauqua Field Center,
Educational Affairs Office, NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dr. Walt Hellman, Physics Teacher, Hillsboro High School
Dr. Lorna Tran, College Success Skills Department,
Portland Community College
Dr. John Koroloff, Professor of Biology, Portland Community College

Collaborations for K-12 and Community Outreach

Portland General Electric (PGE)
The Horizons Project at PSU