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PHY 150: "Intro to Renewable Energy" class presented a Poster Showcase Exhibit on "Renewable Energies, the Carbon Economy and Global Warming" (Dec 9-10, 2024, Mon-Tues) with a small Reception to engage student presenters at the Foyer of Haub Business School.
Since Fall 2023, Dr. Roberto Ramos has designed and taught four classes of PHY 150 "Introduction to Renewable Energy" - a First Year Seminar Course at SJU. PHY 150 is the comprehensive introductory course in Renewable Energy at SJU. It requires no science background, employs hands-on experiments and project-building, reflective essays, and poster presentations for student engagement, and spans the following topics:
Solar Energy
Wind Energy
Hydropower
Tidal Energy
Geothermal Energy
Biomass Energy and Bio-fuels
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Energy Storage & Rechargeable Batteries
Climate Change
Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Carbon Marketplace
Environmental Justice
The course receives support from Constellation - the largest green energy producer in the USA.
Student Feedback to Blind Survey
Student Feedback to Blind Survey
What aspects of the course did you like best ?
“I like the hands-on demonstrations where I could learn while working”
“I liked the lecture-based class, learned a lot.”
“The group work”
“Loved the teaching style and workload”
What do you think was the most important thing you learned that you didn't know before this class ?
What do you think was the most important thing you learned that you didn't know before this class ?
"That geothermal energy is as big as an energy source as it is. (i didnt know it was that effective)"
"Bio energy being a form derived from recently living organic materials (biomass) which can be used to produce fuels (biofuels) and electricity. "
"I think the most important thing I learned is the applications of geothermal energy. Before taking this class I didn't even know that geothermal energy was a thing so it is very interesting to see what incredible things can be done with just the heat from the earth's core."
"What I found most important was learning about hydropower. I didn't know much about it except seeing the occasional dam. I found the usage and mechanics behind hydropower to be the most interesting out of all of the energies that we learned about. As an environmental science major, I would be interested in possibly working in a field that would have to deal with the usage of hydropower."
"That there were ways to utilize tidal energy and that they can be very effective if built in the right places."
"How impactful all of these types of renewable energies are to our environment."
"I've learned from class, and my own research on the side that although these energy sources may be renewable it does not always mean they are a clean option."
"That we must start finding new ways of creating energy such as solar power, geothermal or wind power before fossil fuels run out. "
"Some of the environmental impacts of renewable energy sources ex: solar, wind, hydropower."
"I had actually never heard of geothermal energy before until the past two weeks so that is actually why I chose this topic. "
PHILADELPHIA. In 2023 and 2024, Dr. Ramos and SJU physics majors gave two Renewable Energy Workshops for K-12 STEM teachers and administrators attending the Annual Educator Conference of PRISE (Philadelphia Regional Institute for Science Educators). The workshop "Experiments and Demonstrations in Renewable Energy for the K-12 Classroom) impacted over 50 STEM teachers.
THE PHILIPPINES. In 2023, Dr. Ramos gave a Solar Energy Workshop for high school teachers and students of SEPNAS, a rural agricultural high school with 7,000 students in the province of Pangasinan in the Philippines.
Renewable Energy Workshops for K-12 STEM Teachers in the US and the Philippines
Renewable Energy Workshops for K-12 STEM Teachers in the US and the Philippines
Impact on SJU Students
Impact on SJU Students
Dan Fauni (SJU Physics Class of 2023) now works as an Engineer at EOS Energy, an energy storage company. Dan did research in both quantum science and renewable energy. He presented papers at the American Physical Society meetings on his work with Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSC). He worked two years as a mentor in the renewable energy-themed Physics Girls Summer Camp, helped develop prototype experiments on LSCs and solar trackers, which got him interested in renewable energy. Dan received a prestigious national Society of Physics Leadership Award for leading our award-winning chapter of SPS.
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