The College of Menominee Nation’s applied research projects on solar energy are expanding to engage teachers and primary school students in the region.
With its new $197,128 grant from the National Science Foundation, CMN will introduce renewable energy concepts to children from high-risk schools in Green Bay and to area teachers for use in their classrooms.
The youth outreach project funded by the college’s grant is a cooperative effort between CMN and the Greater Green Bay YMCA’s after-school program. Children from grades 2 through 5 will learn about renewable energy in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs from March 31 through May 5.
The teacher education component will be planned on a train-the-trainers model that shows classroom teachers how to incorporate solar energy education units in STEM classes.
The two-year grant is a continuation of the ongoing solar energy research led by Lisa Bosman of the CMN faculty.
Bosman, a Gresham native, is concurrently working under a $413,000 NASA Innovations in Climate Education grant that expands on the college’s solar energy research activities. She and others of the college are also engaged in energy projects with Argonne National Laboratory, University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, and the National Council for Science and Environment, among others.
CMN is one of several tribal colleges working to increase STEM instructional and research capacities for indigenous students and the communities the colleges serve. Grants awarded to the College of Menominee Nation are helping expand the research efforts of faculty and the opportunities of their students to pursue careers in STEM fields.
College students in CMN’s grant-funded projects gain hands-on experience in applied research and invitations to assist with STEM outreach programs.
In summer 2014, CMN students served as mentors to area high school students who participated in the college’s NASA Academy. The after-school program with the YMCA this spring will match CMN students one-on-one or one-to-two with elementary school students for renewable energy projects. In keeping with the college’s mission, many of the planned activities are culturally significant and encourage a community and generational appreciation for science and math while introducing students to careers in fields such as sustainable energy production.
The College of Menominee Nation is an accredited baccalaureate institution with campuses in Keshena and Green Bay. Information on CMN is available online at menominee.edu.