RET Site: Research Experience in AI-Powered Sustainable Energy Sources and Storage for Nevada Teachers

The reliability, affordability, and sustainability of the electricity grid have become national priorities at a moment of rapid change. Electricity demand is rising sharply, driven by data-center growth, reindustrialization, transportation electrification, and increasingly frequent extreme weather. Meeting this demand sustainably requires a more diverse and decentralized mix of energy sources and storage technologies, together with new tools to manage the variability of weather-dependent resources such as solar and wind. Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a transformative tool in this effort for optimizing grid operations, forecasting demand, improving the efficiency of energy storage, accelerating the discovery of new materials, and enabling real-time decision-making for a resilient and cost-effective energy system. Preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers to wield these tools is therefore directly in the national interest, advancing both national prosperity and the security of critical infrastructure. This Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) addresses this need by engaging middle and high school science teachers in authentic, AI-powered research on sustainable energy sources and energy storage, and by helping them translate that experience into their classrooms. Over three years, this project will support 30 teachers (10 per year) through an intensive six-week summer research program followed by an academic-year implementation and mentoring plan. The project responds to an acute regional challenge: Nevada ranks 50th in the nation in Chance for Success and 50th overall in education, and many of its students have limited awareness of or exposure to STEM career pathways. By equipping teachers with research experience, curriculum-development support, and classroom-ready tools, the Site will reach thousands of students annually and expand awareness of STEM careers in sustainable energy and AI. The program emphasizes long-term engagement through workshops, classroom implementation, school visits, and continued collaboration with UNR faculty and graduate students, and it leverages industry partnerships with NV Energy and Tesla to connect classroom learning to real-world practice. In doing so, the project aligns with Nevada’s clean energy and workforce development goals and with national priorities for sustainable energy innovation. All outreach, recruitment, and participatory activities will be open and available to all Americans, with broad engagement of urban and rural communities across Northern Nevada. This RET Site project harnesses AI as a transformative tool for addressing critical challenges in sustainable energy sources (SESs) and energy storage devices (ESDs), and prepares a future workforce by immersing teachers in cutting-edge, AI-powered research that can be translated into classrooms. The objectives are to: (1) train a cadre of middle and high school teachers in the fundamentals of SESs and ESDs and the role of AI in their design and operation, through hands-on research with faculty mentors and graduate students; (2) support teachers in developing standards-aligned curriculum knowledge units and introducing them to their students; (3) expose students to novel energy technologies and STEM career opportunities; and (4) encourage students to participate in local and national innovation competitions and research experiences. This RET Site project is supported by a multidisciplinary team spanning electrical and biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, and STEM education. Research is organized around two cohesive thrusts that bridge materials discovery and systems engineering: Thrust 1, AI-Powered Innovation for Energy Conversion, Storage, and Sustainable Biofuels and Thrust 2, AI-Enabled Control and Optimization for Next-Generation Power Systems. All projects are offered at two levels (one for middle school and one for high school teachers) to align research goals and outcomes with the corresponding education standards. Curriculum development is led by a STEM-education specialist using a structured, three-phase process that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards and the Nevada Academic Content Standards for Science. Differentiated supports and collaboratively developed rubrics guide teachers across varying skill and grade levels, and lessons are implemented and iteratively refined during the academic year with mentor support and monthly virtual meetings. An external evaluator employs surveys, interviews, classroom observations, and review of teacher and student work samples, combining formative and summative assessment to measure gains in teacher knowledge and the effectiveness of classroom implementation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.