The NSF Authentic Research Experiences for Teachers (ARETe) Program
The NSF Authentic Research Experiences for Teachers (ARETe) Program matches faculty from Colorado two year colleges with research laboratories in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder, for 10-week, in-depth collaborative research experiences. Participating two-year faculty will also develop pedagogical modules, in collaboration with participating CEAS faculty, aligned with their course goals/outcomes. Fellows will receive a stipend of $8,000 over the course of the program with an additional $2,000 available for supplies, travel and other needs. Please inquire about the Summer 2022 program!
Saturday Physics Series: January 2019 – "Powered by the Sun: Turning Light into Electricity with Photovoltaic Cells"
Abstract: Photovoltaic cells have taken enormous strides recently toward becoming a viable, if not vital, source of renewable energy for our planet. They take advantage of photon-electron interactions in semiconductors to generate power that we can use in our everyday lives. Existing cells with solar-to-electric power conversion efficiencies of around 20% are based on silicon and are decreasing in cost rapidly. New cells based on organic and hybrid materials are being developed that have the potential to further decrease costs while increasing the efficiency to 30+%. In this Saturday Physics public talk I explained the physics of photovoltaic devices and provided some intuition as to just how powerful this science can be!
"Race the Sun" event - October 2014
As part of CU's Homecoming Weekend 2014 we held a "Race the Sun" interactive demonstration at the Idea Forge. During this event, participants (students of all ages) could test their skills at propelling an electric car down a track with a small hand-crank generator. The car was pitted against a solar-powered one that was connected to various types of photovoltaic panels aimed at the sun. Do you think you could beat the sun???
