Powering a Sustainable Future Through Hands-On Energy Science

The STEM Explorers: Environmental Science and Sustainability program connects students to one of the most pressing challenges of the twenty-first century—clean energy. Through thirty-nine class periods of building, testing, and optimizing real energy systems, students develop the scientific literacy and engineering skills to understand and contribute to sustainable solutions.

Students explore how renewable energy supports professionals in fields such as:

• Solar energy engineering and photovoltaic system design
• Wind farm planning and turbine engineering
• Agricultural technology and precision farming
• Environmental science and sustainability consulting
• Data science and IoT sensor networks

They do not just read about sustainability. They build the energy systems of the future.

Science

• Energy conversion—solar to electrical, wind to mechanical to electrical
• Light, motion, and mechanical systems affecting efficiency
• Soil science and agricultural data analysis
• Controlled experimentation with environmental variables

Technology

• Microsoft FarmBeats IoT sensors for agricultural data collection
• WinDynamo wind turbine generators and anemometers
• Solar panels, motors, and energy conversion hardware
• Multimeters for measuring voltage and output

Engineering

• Designing solar vehicles and wind turbines for maximum efficiency
• Optimizing gear ratios, blade configurations, and panel angles
• Engineering within real-world constraints—weather, materials, space
• Presenting design decisions with data-driven evidence

Math

• Calculating energy output, efficiency ratios, and gear ratios
• Graphing wind speed, voltage, and performance data
• Growing degree unit calculations from temperature data
• Measurement, unit conversion, and proportional reasoning

Agricultural Technology (2 lessons):

• Gathering Data Through Sensors—Use moisture sensors to measure soil content, monitor environment, and design an agent to notify a producer

• Analyzing Data Activities—Use temperature data from FarmBeats to calculate growing degree units and apply big data fusion for greenhouse location decisions

Solar Energy Engineering (6 lessons):

• Alternative Energy—Learn about alternative forms of energy and their growing use

• Construction—Design and construct a solar-powered vehicle

• Investigating Natural vs Artificial—Determine how the light source affects solar vehicle operation

• Determining Optimum Angle—Determine the optimum angle for solar panel placement

• Designing Gear Ratios—Design a vehicle with the optimum gear ratio for maximum speed

• Solar-Powered Amusement Ride—Design a solar-powered amusement ride guided by a ground track system

Wind Energy Engineering (7 lessons):

• Energy Efficiency—Learn how alternative forms of energy are captured and converted

• Construction—Construct a model wind generator

• Measuring Wind Speed—Use an anemometer to measure wind speed at various distances and graph results

• Varying Pitch Angle—Conduct experiments to determine the optimum blade pitch angle

• Measuring Voltage—Use a multimeter to determine voltage at various pitch angles and wind speeds

• Turbine Design—Design and construct a turbine with four, five, or six blades for optimum output

• Wind Flow—Create a model of the school or community with working wind generator prototypes