Modernizing Photovoltaics Education at the University Level
As solar cell manufacturing continues to grow at a record-setting pace, increasing demands are placed on universities to educate students on both the practical and theoretical aspects of photovoltaics. As a truly interdisciplinary field, young professionals must be fluent with the science, engineering, policy, and market dimensions of this technology, in the context of a growing renewable energy economy. Despite significant advances in photovoltaics research, technology, and manufacturing over the past 25 years, education at the university level has, with few exceptions, not kept pace with the world around it. Wouldn’t it be great, to have a day and a half with some of the most accomplished and passionate PV educators from around the world, to concentrate on this important subject while brining unique experiences to the table?
To us, this appeared to be an attractive idea. With the support of a Boston-area philanthropist, we are able to hold an informal workshop this summer focused on precisely these topics.
Workshop title: Modernizing Photovoltaics Education at the University Level
Organizers: Tonio Buonassisi (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Jim Sites (Colorado State University), Stuart Bowden (University of Delaware), and Christiana Honsberg (University of Delaware)
Concept: Gather a handful of the world's most active and passionate photovoltaics educators for a one-day workshop, with the goal of modernizing and enhancing the quality of PV education at the university level, through open discussion and exchange of experiences, best practices, and course materials.
Target group: Professors and industry representatives that represent a range of international institutions and have a diverse approach to the subject.
Duration: One full day (Friday), with evening reception.
Where: MIT Campus (Cambridge, Massachusetts; USA)
When: July 18th, 2008.
Results: There are two envisioned results of this workshop: Course material volunteered by workshop participants (e.g., syllabi, lecture slides, video recordings, reading materials, project descriptions…) can be made publically available to individuals around the world, either in an ad-hoc basis or a more formalized format (book, CD-ROM, website, pveducation.org). Secondly, the experience and materials resulting from this workshop will assist workforce development efforts spearheaded by the DOE and NREL, aiming to develop new talent for the burgeoning PV industry.
Participants at the Photovoltaic Education Workshop
In addition, local students will participate, and three local professors will be involved who currently teach solar energy. In total this is a maximum of ~30 people, which should make for a rather manageable group and allow everybody to actively participate in the discussions.
Topics:
- PV education at the university level: State-of-the-art and historical perspective
- Assessing the diversity of approaches at different universities and institutions.
- Sharing of resources: syllabi, course content, lecture notes, books, online materials…
- Fundamentals: Towards establishing a common ground for university PV courses.
- Interdisciplinary: Strategies to blend science, technology, manufacturing, policy, and economics.
- Accommodating rapid change: Balancing existing and emerging technologies.
- Laboratory components: Best practices, lab descriptions, making do with limited resources.
- Real-world education: Tours of homes, field installations, manufacturing plants, testing facilities.
- Course projects: Options, structure, and role of successful course projects.
- Making a broader impact: Placing resources online, working with local industry, student groups.
- Integration into workforce development efforts (DOE + NREL), curriculum development support.
Organisation: The workshop will be arranged at MIT, which has the benefit of providing access to educational resources, libraries, and other university facilities. Accommodation will be at a hotel near the university. A Friday evening reception will be hosted by our Boston-area venture-capital community. Tours of MIT and Harvard labs can be provided on Thursday, if people wish to arrive early. Tonio Buonassisi can also help facilitate a certain number of on-campus lectures, for those who are interested in sharing their latest research at MIT or potentially at Harvard.
Site: Cambridge (Massachusetts) is situated across the Charles River from Boston. With over 100,000 inhabitants within 6.5 square miles, it is a unique community with a diverse blend of technological innovation, intellectual vitality, and social diversity. It is a popular student city; the median age is 30. MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with just over 10,000 students, overlooks Boston and the Charles River. July is a particularly nice time to visit New England, as the weather is usually sunny (although nothing can be guaranteed, especially not nowadays), and days and evenings are usually warm. Local attractions include Cape Cod and the Islands (Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket), Rockport and Glouchester, Salem, Plymouth, the White Mountains (New Hampshire), Providence and Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island), and coves and harbors of Maine.