The DOE has launched the first group of faculty members for its groundbreaking Faculty-Applied Clean Energy Sciences (FACES) Program. This program bridges the gap between DOE research facilities and the academic community, aims to improve STEM education, and promotes clean energy responsibility in social and environmental sciences. By providing hands-on clean energy research opportunities, the FACES program has selected faculty members from a range of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) across the US, including TCUs, HSIs, HBCUs, ANNHSIs, and AANAPISIs.
During the 10-week summer program, MSI faculty members will collaborate with scientists at NREL in Golden, Colorado. Their primary objective is to develop educational modules on various clean energy topics that can be easily scaled and incorporated into their home institutions’ curricula. These modules will be shared among MSIs to support teachers in creating resources that help students pursue careers in clean energy. Terrence Mosley, senior advisor for diversity and STEM at EERE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), expressed excitement about this opportunity for MSI faculty members to engage directly with DOE and national laboratories through FACES. According to Mosley, by expanding their research networks and empowering them to educate students on cutting-edge clean energy science topics, the program aims to enhance STEM education and promote diversity in the scientific workforce to create a sustainable future for America.
