Reach a New EnergySciences Workforce Through Atmospheric Research at the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (RENEW-AR-UPR-RP)

Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce Through Atmospheric Research at The University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras (RENEW-AR-UPRRP)

Elvia Meléndez-Ackerman, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras (PI)

Jess K. Zimmerman, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras (co-PI)

Christopher Nytch, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras (co-PI)

Bignaraj Sarangi, University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras (Key Personnel)

Denny Fernández, University of Puerto Rico at Huamaco (Key Personnel)

Olga Mayol-Bracero, Brookhaven National Laboratory (Key Personnel)

Arthur J. Sedlacek, Brookhaven National Laboratory (Key Personnel)

Yan Feng, Argonne National Laboratory (Key Personnel)

The vision of Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce Through Atmospheric Research at The University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras project is to serve as a Community of Research Practice that has been conceptualized to build a pipeline into the new energy workforce that will impact underrepresented minority students in higher education at the undergraduate and graduate level by preparing them for careers where they can contribute to and address the science challenges of the United States Department of Energy’s Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division.  The goal of the project is to build capacity in the Environmental Sciences Program of the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, a predominantly Hispanic minority-serving institution.  The project has three objectives. First, it will develop new partnerships with the National Laboratories of the Department of Energy (Brookhaven National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory) to enable sustained undergraduate and graduate student research and training through research-focused collaborations centered on atmospheric aerosol

aerosols

Small particles or droplets, such as wildfire smoke, volcanic gases, or salty sea spray, that float in the air. They are emitted by both natural events and human activities.

Source: NASA Global Climate Change Source

observations, characterization, modeling, and climatic feedbacks. Second, it will facilitate undergraduate and graduate student engagement in training and outreach activities that promote the interest in, and awareness of atmospheric research carried out under the Energy’s Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division programs and user facilities. Last, it will foster the development of climate and environmental science training capacity and atmospheric sciences research (with emphasis on atmospheric aerosols) at The University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus.

Funds will support experiential training to graduate and undergraduate students, will provide multi-layered mentoring to students, and will support collaborative activities that build institutional capacity in partnership with scientists from the University of Puerto Rico scientists affiliated with the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory in Process-level Advancements of Climate through Cloud and Aerosol Lifecycle Studies, a Science Focus Area supported within Department of Energy’s Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division.

The proposed research and training activities not only promote advances in aerosol research but are also relevant to the overall goals of the United States Department of Energy’s Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce Through Atmospheric Research initiative. By targeting students at a minority-serving institution, the proposed project contributes to engaging students that are largely underrepresented in the Atmospheric Sciences workforce.