ASU / HBCU to foster clean energy education with $40,000 grant

ALBANY, Ga. – Albany State University is set to elevate the aspirations of it’s STEM students to unprecedented heights. Thanks to an acquisition of a substantial $40,000 reward.

Congressman Sanford Bishop, Jr. has officially disclosed that Albany State University is the recipient of a $40,000 grant as a part of the prestigious Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Clean Energy Education Prize Inspire Track.

“Dr. Zheng, Dr. Lilly Zheng, who is the P.I. for this project, she was the one who actually put the project together and submitted it. This process involved putting together a package that demonstrated a clear plan, a clear proposal idea, and clear outcomes; and to do so in a way that would be eligible for the project through peer review. The HBCUs that contributed projects were selected by their committee. Once that committee selected the projects that would go on to receive rewards, then that announcement was made and it was published online,” said Dr. John Williams, Chair of Department of Natural Sciences.

This program aims to provide backing for the creation or enrichment of clean-energy focused summer programs for K-12 and community college students.

ASU Chair of Natural Sciences Department and Associate Biology Professor, Dr. John Williams, discusses forthcoming initiatives with clean energy and education.

“Dr. Zheng has been a leader in the solar panel and solar energy sector, particularly, in southwest Georgia. Dr. Zheng is actually one of the few people in this area that is doing this kind of research, and she is doing it with undergraduate students. She decided that she also wanted to extend this to the K-12 space. So, helping to get kids that are grade school level involved in sustainable energy. So, with this project she is proposing a summer camp; where students can be introduced to renewable energy, solar energy as a possible energy source particularly in southwest Georgia, and to learn more about environmental justice as a broader concept,” said Dr. Williams.

Williams emphasized that this endeavor extends beyond a mere summer camp, representing a broader initiative designed to foster the growth and development of STEM student across America.

“The university has a mission to connect with the community, connect with key stakeholders in the community, and to serve as an academic hub for the community; so that information, research, those items that we generate can service the community well right here in our backyard. So, these are home grown students, who not only will be introduced to a phenomenal concept in renewable energy; but can also carry that information and the things that they learn into their classrooms, into the collegiate environment. This is bigger than just a summer project, it is planting a seed for the development of students in our area to attack this particular area of science and be able to reap the benefits of it in career and educational opportunities,” said Dr. Williams.

De’Andra Jacobs reporting.

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