Academic Projects
Energize Colleges supports faculty in integrating sustainability, climate, and energy topics into higher education curriculum with the goal of preparing students to lead a transition to an equitable and sustainable world.
Recent Academic Project: Bakersfield College
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Bakersfield Engineering Professor, Travis Steele, integrated photovoltaic technology and other renewable energy concepts into his "Introduction to Engineering and Design" course. Steele’s new curriculum includes a series of hands-on lab activities in which students build and code a 2-axis solar tracker and compare the power differences between fixed panel arrays and tracking panel arrays.
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Travis Steele and electrical engineering student, Jason Wilkins, building an Arduino-based solar tracking robot
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Recent Academic Project: Riverside Community College
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Professors Kfir Mendelovitz and Pierre Ortanez integrated heat pump curriculum into Riverside Community College's HVAC courses and degree program.
Utilizing full-size heat pumps and heat pump water heaters provided by TECH Clean California, students received hands-on training in all aspects of heat pump operation and maintenance. |
Professors Mendelovitz and Ortanez teach students how to service heat pump water heaters
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Recent Academic Project: Allan Hancock College
Allan Hancock Architecture Professor, Saad Sadig, integrated solar photovoltaic basics, technology, and applications into his "Sustainable Design Methods and Technology" course to promote a deeper understanding of sustainable design principles.
This enriched curriculum, launched during the 2024 Spring Semester, includes types of PV systems, solar module configurations (arrays), solar storage devices, site-integrated PVs, and design guidelines.
This enriched curriculum, launched during the 2024 Spring Semester, includes types of PV systems, solar module configurations (arrays), solar storage devices, site-integrated PVs, and design guidelines.
Saad Sadig, Architecture Professor at Allan Hancock College
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Photovoltaic (PV)-generated electricity is an almost ideal energy source. PV, which converts light into electricity, is sustainable, nonpolluting, safe, silent, and available at peak demand time, which is a hot summer day. The module: Photovoltaics Basics, Technology, and Applications introduces students to this ideal energy source. The module also introduces students to innovative PV integration strategies." |
Communities of Practice
Energize Colleges facilitates Communities of Practice to empower multidisciplinary faculty and staff members to integrate sustainability into their curriculum and institutionalize sustainability education across campus.
Communities of practice are groups of faculty and/or staff members who engage in the following:
Communities of practice are groups of faculty and/or staff members who engage in the following:
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A collaborative space with which to share and exchange resources and best practices.
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Training sessions on evidence-based research and current sustainability topics to support faculty and/or staff in updating their curriculum and training materials.
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Presentations from experts in sustainability, energy efficiency, and climate solutions.
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Recent Presentations
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Energize Colleges has been delighted to host a number of expert presenters in our Communities of Practice.
Our presenters represent organizations such as Project Drawdown, the Environmental and Natural Resource Technology Center (EARTh Center), the Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education (CREATE), as well as a number of higher education institutions across the nation. |
"Higher Education's Role in Creating a Green Workforce"
by Elizabeth Bagley, Ph.D. |
"Decarbonization" by Amanda D. Smith, Ph.D.
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To learn about current faculty and staff opportunities please contact us.
