WATCH: UC-Designed Solar Flatpack Model Aims to Teach Schoolchildren About Harnessing Solar Energy

A group of sixth-and-eighth-graders from Cincinnati Public’s Taft STEM Elementary School spent part of their Earth Day at college on April 22, as they utilized a University of Cincinnati faculty and student-designed prototype to teach schoolchildren about solar energy and the environment. The seven CPS students’ hands-on demonstration with a miniature solar house and supporting iPad applications took place with the UC faculty and student designers representing the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP); College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH); and College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS).

Supported by a six-month, $25,000 grant from the Battelle Foundation, the solar flat pack is being explored as a model that can be manufactured and sent to K-12 schools to provide hands-on demonstrations to different grade levels about solar energy. The system allows teachers to design their lessons as applications that can be accessed from the iPad and iPod touch.

“We’re designing this so that it can be used by any grade level, with the first lesson beginning at finding the sun,” says Anton Harfmann, associate dean, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). “This hands-on model is an interactive way for students at different grade levels to learn about converting and storing energy from the sun and converting the sun’s rays into heat, light and electricity.”

The interdisciplinary UC faculty/student partnership that resulted in its creation blended and fueled UC talent in engineering, architecture, instructional design and education. These interdisciplinary learning partnerships are emphasized in the first phase of UC’s new Academic Master Plan in applying student learning toward solving real-world challenges.

“With rising costs of our energy resources, it’s important for all students – even very young children and children with special needs in learning – to develop an understanding of where energy comes from,” says James Basham, UC assistant professor of education. “Grabbing their interest at a young age will hopefully fuel their future interest in STEM-focused careers.”

“It is great that we can put technology into the hands of students,” says Randy Gibson, lead teacher, science expert cadre at Taft STEM Elementary School. “This allows them to be more engaged in the classroom. This technology in particular allows them to see – in real time – how the energy from the sun can be used as a source of viable energy for our homes and schools. It is this generation’s turn to take over the search for alternative energy sources. They will be our future policy makers and energy consumers.”

Over the next couple of months, the UC developers will continue testing the model for its usability and student-learning outcomes. Harfmann says the long-range goal for the model is to create a solar pack priced between $500 to $600 to share around a school district, with lessons designed for different grade levels.

The Battelle Foundation funding for the project was awarded to the UC FUSION Center in CECH, which strives to build student strength and interest in STEM fields through innovative teaching and K-16 partnerships.

UC’s FUSION Center partnership with Taft STEM Elementary was launched in 2008, when the school was restructured into a STEM school with a state-of-the-art curriculum focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The partnership is part of a K-16 pipeline to ensure the academic success of every student in the Cincinnati USA region and to strengthen Ohio’s future workforce.

UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services has been dedicated to excellence in teaching for more than a century. The college prepares students to work in diverse communities, provides continual professional development and fosters education leadership at the local, state, national and international levels.

Year after year, the programs within the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning are ranked among the very best in both a world and national class. DesignIntelligence recently ranked UC’s master's in architecture program at Number Six in the nation.

In the areas of STEM education and research, CEAS is positioned to play a leadership role within the University System of Ohio. The college is home to the world’s fist cooperative education program.