Colorado State University to Offer Opportunity for Teachers to Explore Electric Vehicle Education at Three-Day Workshop
Note to Reporters: Please note registration is due Thursday, Feb. 16.
CSU Ventures’ Systems Solutions Group and Colorado State University’s Mechanical Engineering department will offer professional development workshops for teachers on advanced electric vehicle technology during a three-day workshop on Feb. 18, Feb. 25 and March 3.
The workshop’s goal is to assist secondary educators with teaching basic science and math concepts underlying electric vehicle technology and its impact on the environment. The workshop is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Registration is due Thursday, Feb. 16 for the workshop, which is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Feb. 18 and 25 and March 3 at CSU’s College of Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center, Natural & Environmental Science Building, 1231 East Drive, on the main Colorado State campus.
The three-day workshop will include seminar presentations, hands-on activities designed for the classroom, a field trip to CSU’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, and the opportunity to physically explore plug-in/hybrid electric vehicles. Hands-on activities include classroom kits that explore the science of rechargeable batteries and regenerative braking in advanced electric vehicles.
CSU’s Vehicle Innovation Team, a team of students working on a hybrid/electric vehicle competition, will attend the workshops to assist teachers with hands-on activities, deliver presentations about their work for the EcoCAR 2 competition, and answer any questions about advanced vehicle technologies.
Lecturers include:
• Thomas Bradley, CSU Department of Mechanical Engineering
Topics: the history of PHEV’s, environmental impacts, emissions, and energy storage
• Amy Prieto, Department of Chemistry
Topics: the Prieto battery, challenges in energy storage
• Andrew Warnock, College of Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center
Topics: rechargeable battery activity, regenerative braking activity
• Ken Stanton, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Topics: industry informed curriculum design, regenerative braking
• Cynthia Smeraski, Department of Biomedical Science
Topics: workshop coordinator, curriculum on Gooru
• Dan Zimmerle, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sr. Research Associate
Topic: tour of Energy and Engines Conversion Lab
• Ray Duthu, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. Candidate
Topics: Smart/electric grids, renewable energy
About CSU VIT
The CSU Vehicle Innovation Team is a group of 33 senior engineering students dedicated to developing and building innovative green automotive technologies. Currently members are completing the year-one design project for the EcoCAR 2 competition and work out of the Motorsports Engineering Research Center.
About EcoCAR 2
EcoCAR 2: Plugging in to the Future,” is a three-year collegiate engineering competition that offers an unparalleled hands-on, real-world experience to educate the next generation of automotive engineers. The competition challenges 15 universities across North America to reduce the environmental impact of a Chevrolet Malibu without compromising performance, safety and consumer acceptability. The DOE, Argonne National Laboratories, and General Motors support EcoCAR 2. Siemens has also made a significant software grant to Colorado State University for the competition.
Teachers wishing to register for the workshop should contact Cynthia.smeraski@colostate.edu, or go online to:
https://eweb.psdschools.org/documentlibrary/downloads/Professional_Development/Outside_Offerings/Electric_Vehicle_Education_in_the_Classroom_PD_Workshop.pdf
For more information, contact Leslie Howerton at 205.427.0775 or howerton@colostate.edu.
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