Empowering Minority-Serving Institutions: FACES Program Tackles STEM Education and Clean Energy Responsibility

The Faculty-Applied Clean Energy Sciences (FACES) Program, recently launched by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), aims to strengthen connections between DOE laboratories and academic institutions, improve STEM education, and promote clean energy responsibility in social and environmental sciences. To achieve these goals, the program has selected its first group of faculty members from minority-serving institutions (MSI) across the country, 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 institutions (AANAPISIs).

The chosen faculty cohort will partner with scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado for a 10-week summer program. Their primary objective is to develop educational modules on various clean energy topics that can be integrated into their home institution’s curricula and shared with other MSIs. This collaboration will provide teachers with valuable resources to support students who are interested in pursuing careers in clean energy.

“We are thrilled to give MSI faculty members the opportunity to collaborate directly with DOE and national laboratories through FACES,” said Terrence Mosley, senior advisor for diversity and STEM in DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). “This partnership will help expand their research networks and empower them to educate their students on cutting-edge clean energy science topics. By promoting strong STEM education and diverse representation in the scientific workforce, the United States will be better positioned to build a sustainable future.”