Bridging the Gap: The FACES Program Empowers Minority-Serving Institutions Faculty Members in Pursuing Clean Energy Education and Research

The Faculty-Applied Clean Energy Sciences (FACES) Program, launched by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), seeks to bridge the gap between DOE laboratories and academia, improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, and promote clean energy responsibility in social and environmental sciences. This innovative program will provide hands-on clean energy research opportunities to faculty members from minority-serving institutions (MSI) nationwide, including Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions (ANNHSIs), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution (AANAPISIs).

During the 10-week summer program, MSI faculty members will collaborate with scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. Their main goal is to develop educational modules on various clean energy-related topics that can be easily scaled. These modules will be incorporated into the curriculum at their home educational institutions and shared among MSIs to support teachers in developing resources that can help students pursue careers in clean energy. Terrence Mosley, senior advisor for diversity and STEM at DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), expressed excitement about the opportunity given to MSI faculty members to engage directly with DOE and national laboratories through FACES. He stated that by expanding their research networks and empowering them to educate students on cutting-edge clean energy science topics, the program aims to enhance STEM education and promote diversity in the scientific workforce to create a sustainable future for America.