Outreach

Energy is the pulse of our day-to-day life. It is the world’s largest economic sector. Even today, we are heavily reliant on fossil fuels that are responsible for climate change. Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas supply 80 percent of the world’s energy utilized in industrial processes, transportation, residential and commercial sectors. Our energy choices and decisions impact our planet’s natural systems, so we must choose our energy sources carefully.

Young Engineers and Scientists in Energy (YES-E) program offers a platform for young minds to learn and initiate a dialogue about our energy future. Perhaps the young generation who understands our future and a changing climate is closely tied to the choices we make today. YES-E talks about pathways and challenges to produce sustainable, secure, and affordable energy for everyone around the globe. YES-E discusses how to create a practical and effective energy mix without hurting the current economy and infrastructure. YES-E teaches low- and zero-emission renewable energy technologies with improved energy efficiency and carbon capture-and-storage techniques. The YES-E program aims to make young minds aware of the current energy scenario and inspire them to learn more and pursue a career in energy.

K-12, high-school, pre-college, or college students interested to learn and contribute to the future energy pathways should apply for this program. The program length is 8-12 weeks and is offered in Summer, Fall, and Spring. For more information, please contact Professor Biswas.

DropMEin! is part of ASME’s INSPIRE STEM Readiness program for K-12 schools where working engineers drop into classrooms, virtually, to explain how engineers can be “problem-solvers for good.” Launched in 2015, ASME’s INSPIRE program content is currently available to over 150,000 students across the United States. The program invites the exploration of basic engineering concepts and opens a window into the world of engineering by introducing young people to real-world STEM career paths and their positive impact on the world.

The DropMEIn! program is empowering next-generation engineers. Under normal circumstances, the ASME INSPIRE program brings engineers into classrooms in their local communities. However, in the midst of the pandemic, as part of the ASME volunteer engineering team, we virtually visit classrooms around the country.

Between 2014-17, I developed and taught three short-term courses for gifted, creative, and talented students in grades 5 – 12 through the Purdue Gifted Education Research Resource Institute (GERI) summer program. The purpose of the GERI program was to motivate young high school students to pursue STEM as a career choice. These courses were

• Introductory combustion – ‘Fire! Fire! Fire!’
• Introductory rocket propulsion – ‘Rocket Science? Yes, You Can!’
• Experimental fluid mechanics course – ‘Experiments in Fluids’