Get ready for Earth Month! | | |
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How are you planning to celebrate Earth Month this year? Whatever your plans, KEEP can help! We’re excited to offer professional development opportunities in person and online, free hands-on kits for checkout, and ready-to-use classroom lessons about energy. | |
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Get your eclipse on!
By Laureanna Raymond-Duvernell, KEEP's Education Outreach Specialist
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Things that affect the amount of electricity that solar panels produce:
- Shade
- Snow
- High temperatures
But there is another reason that solar panels in parts of the United States will not be at full capacity on April 8, 2024: a total solar eclipse!
Solar eclipses happen when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, blocking the sun in a narrow path across the planet. Many parts of the US will see at least a partial eclipse (if it’s not cloudy) but a band from Maine to Texas will be treated to a total solar eclipse, when the moon will completely block out the sun.
In 2017, my family had the chance to see a total solar eclipse while on vacation in the Pacific Northwest. We detoured a little bit past Portland, OR, and on August 21 we found ourselves sitting on blankets in the middle of a high school football field.
Wearing our solar eclipse glasses, we could see the moon creeping across the sun and the skies darken around us, feel the temperature drop about 15°F, and hear the excitement rippling through the crowd. At 10:18 a.m., my daughters yelled for me to take off my glasses and look at the sun: full totality was occurring!
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Professional Development Opportunities | | |
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Workshop Spotlight
Flip a Switch!
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KEEP is excited to offer the afternoon session of the Forestry and Energy for the Elementary Classroom series.
Join us as we explore a series of energy investigations that help students understand how flipping a light switch leads to filling a room with light.
The series is being held in partnership with our sister forestry education program, LEAF, who will be conducting the morning session.
Registrants can come to either or both sessions depending on their interests. The series is being held April 4 and 11.
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Cool Choices Earth Month Deck | |
Our friends at Green and Healthy Schools have a great opportunity for Wisconsin schools to play its special Cool Choices Earth Month game in April.
The online game features 32 cards that encourage students to take action both at their school and in their community.
This deck will be played over the course of four weeks with eight cards being released every week for students to interact with.
This deck also highlights environmental programs offered throughout Wisconsin, including KEEP, as special collaboration cards.
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5 Questions with Dr. Shannon Riha | |
With this month being Women's History Month and last month including the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we thought it an opportune time to highlight Dr. Shannon Riha, a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point professor who, in addition to being a woman in STEM, provides her students with research opportunities in solar energy technology. | |
Dr. Riha (right) and one of her students expose nanomaterials to light to measure their power output. | |
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Dr. Riha became interested in nanomaterials as an undergraduate. Her doctoral and post-doctoral research focused on using nanomaterials in solar energy applications.
Nanomaterials are materials with at least one dimension 100,000 times smaller than the human hair. Their exceptionally small dimensions, however, give them unique properties that make them extremely useful in applications ranging from medicine to electronic devices and for capturing even solar energy. Nanomaterials can take on different shapes and are often tailored to a given application.
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What sparked your interest in science?
When I was a child, bedtime stories often consisted of articles from Popular Science or Popular Mechanics magazines. These unconventional ‘stories’ sparked my interest in understanding how and why things work. Fast-forward to freshman year in college; I decided to major in electrical engineering because, in my mind, if I knew how things were wired, I would understand how they work.
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How did you end up studying chemistry?
One day after a general chemistry course in college, my professor stopped me in the hall and asked if I had considered becoming a chemistry major. At the time a chemistry major had not crossed my mind. Realizing that understanding how and why things works is rooted in chemistry, I knew I needed to switch majors.
Two years later, I landed a National Science Foundation - Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) that introduced me to the world of nanomaterials and their potential to transform technology. At that point I knew I made the right decision.
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What got you interested in solar energy?
Part is by chance and part is by design. Colorado, where I was going to school, has more than 300 days of sunshine and solar energy is a big part of their energy landscape. The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) is located in Golden, CO, which has a significant research program focused on solar energy. That provided opportunity, and I quickly became informed on the limitations of solar energy systems and the potential benefits nanomaterials could provide. Also, I was generally interested in making materials with a purpose and solar energy was a great purpose!
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What research are you doing now?
One of the limitations with traditional solar energy technology is that solar panels are ridged and fragile, which limits where they can be installed and used. Our group is working to develop nanomaterials that can be used for flexible solar energy panels (e.g. something that could be put on the surface of a tent or tarp).
We target materials that are really efficient at absorbing the sun’s energy, are made from earth-abundant elements, and have low toxicity. We use methods that are low energy, minimize toxic chemicals, and most importantly can be scaled up. In addition, I try to target methods that undergraduates can do since they are the ones actively involved in the research.
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What advice would you give to K-12 students, particularly those who are underrepresented in science fields, about pursuing careers in science?
Take advantage of opportunities to participate in STEM events and activities in your community, like Earth Week activities. Talk with your teachers about how to access these kinds of activities. If you're anywhere near Stevens Point, check out our National Chemistry Week activities. When choosing classes in high school, be sure to take STEM-based courses each year to help keep material fresh and to prepare you for college.
Regarding under-represented groups in STEM, one of the biggest challenges for students is having a sense of acceptance and belonging. Finding mentors and role models of similar groups can help facilitate a better sense of belonging, as it will give you someone to relate to and help address the challenges you may face.
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Continuing our series spotlighting clean energy careers, share more about hydropower careers with your students with a video, lesson slideshow, and student sheet.
Or check out the entire series, plus additional resources, here.
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KEEP is funded by six utilities in Wisconsin - Alliant Energy, Madison Gas & Electric, We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, WPPI Energy and Xcel Energy.
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WPPI is unique among these utilities as it’s a member-owned not-for-profit that serves 51 locally owned electric utilities. Several of these members were recognized by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for their communities’ participation in renewable energy programs.
“Time has shown that our member utilities and their customers are leaders when it comes to renewable energy programs,” said WPPI Energy CEO Mike Peters. “It is apparent, based on these results, that accessible renewable energy is more important than ever for residents in the communities we serve.”
Most utilities offer some form of Choose Renewable program in which customers can choose to slightly increase their monthly bill to offset their energy usage with power from renewable sources. For more information, check out your utility below:
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The KEEP program is funded with generous support by Alliant Energy, Madison Gas and Electric, We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, WPPI Energy, and Xcel Energy. | | | | |
