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2022-2023 Clean Energy Fellows: Water Power Cohort

This cohort of educator leaders collaborated to design innovative and equitable tools for engaging students in water power sector. Their project leveraged the expertise of industry leaders to broaden public understanding of the critical role that water power technologies have played in the Northwest in shaping the economy both past and present and what the future of this industry will look like. These educators also served as national experts representing the Pacific Northwest in the Water Power STEM and Workforce project, collaborating regularly on efforts in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Lab and US DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office.

Photo Gallery

A young boy is using a solar module elevated on math blocks and connected to a multimeter which reads 0.56
A boy stands next to a digital screen. The screen reads "WE NEED A DAM! MAKE A DAM, SAVE A LIFE! River Property Owner Created by Leyla Lewis and Zoe Trevino"
A KidWind wind turbine model with 6 blades.
2 boys use a plastic hose to direct water onto wooden turbine blades attached to a plastic container in an orange bucket.
Kids lay around several large sheets of colored paper covered in different types of plastics. The plastics are sorted with wrappers to the right, containers to the middle, bags and gloves to the left.
A photo of a hand drawn bar chart. Y-axis 0-700, X-axis January, February, March*, April, Title: Plastic Audit, Key: Snacks = green, lunch supplies = purple, Other = blue, Classroom Supplies = red, *The count may not be correct. Red Goal line at 480. January bar= blue to ~250, green from 250-420, purple from 420-580, red from 580-610, February= blue to 200, green to 250, purple to 400, red to 550, March*= blue to 40, green to 150, purple to 220, red to 400. April = blue to 80, green to 200, purple to 320, red to 350.
A cardboard box with a window in the top lid. Plastic with pipe cleaners on the long edge and a cardboard door to the front.
2 girls present using a digital screen the screen reads, "The Disadvantages of not Having a Dam. Some disadvantages of not having a dam are: There might be more floods, Crops might be damaged in floods, We won't have more electricity, But to prevent these, we could: Have a watch tower near the lake with shifting guard rotations, to alert us of any potential danger, We can set up wind turbines and solar panels, connect them to a power plant or two to generate electricity that way.
A group of students stand at a table with two blue wind turbine models. One student is using a multimeter.
Student structures created in this unit. From left to right; a KidWind wind turbine, a posterboard with a green space and a blue waterway that has tiny home models incorporated, and a student model of a playground. In the back is a Powerwheel.

Additional Info

Links

2022-2023 Clean Energy Fellows: Water Power Cohort Showcase

Collaborative Partners

Lane County Public Utility District
Emerald Public Utility District
National Energy Education Development (NEED)
Foundation for Water & Energy Education (FWEE)
West Sound STEM
Oregon Science Teachers Association
Washington Science Teachers Association
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Elwha Dam
Clallam County Public Utility District

Funding Partners

Bonneville Power Administration
Renewable Energy Career Pathways as a subawardee of the West Sound STEM Network

Jill Queen Headshot

“  The Clean Energy Fellowship allowed me to personally broaden and deepen my understanding of clean energy, renewable resources, and ways to reduce carbon on our planet. But the individuals who truly benefited were my students, who spent a year investigating renewable resources using hands-on engineering; thinking critically to collaboratively create their own Renewable City; learning about energy equity; and helping with climate change in their own school. The CE Fellowship supported research and funded materials which helped me develop a Renewable City (project-based-learning) Unit, and I was able to further share this critical education with my district’s teaching community and at the Washington Science Teachers Associate 2023 conference.“

JIll Queen

2022-2023 Clean Energy Fellow, Water Power Cohort, Bainbridge Island WA

Resources from this cohort

Food web of orcas Image Description under Featured Image Description Heading
Overview

Future Needs of the PNW Hydropower System
future needs of the pnw hydropower system

GRADE(S): 6TH, 7TH, 8TH,

Students will evaluate the arguments for breaching the snake river dams, and the arguments against the breach. They will assess cost/benefit …

I shaped PVC frames with a pipe coming up at each of the four corners and a pipe coming up twice as long in the center of the center beam. A KidWind firefly is on top. There are 7-8 of these structures.
Overview

Clean Water Power: Wind, Waves, and Moving Water
clean water power: wind, waves, and moving water

GRADE(S): 10TH, 11TH, 12TH, 9TH,

This unit strives to answer the question: “How can the power of moving help communities by generating electricity?” Through a variety of lessons …

A photo of a green field. From the top center to the bottom left is a a water pipe. At the top of the photo the pipe is connected to a water storage tank. Students kneel on the left side of the pipe.
Overview

When and Why Do We Build Dams?
when and why do we build dams?

GRADE(S): 4TH, 5TH, 6TH,

Students will demonstrate basic understanding of electricity generation and basic components of a hydroelectric dam. They will research, design and …

Meet the Clean Energy Fellows

Brian Vollmer-Buhl Headshot
Brian Vollmer-Buhl

Cottage Grove High School, Cottage Grove, OR

Brian began his 30 year teaching career in inner city Detroit as a student teacher, and has spent much of his career taking on challenges that refine and improve his effectiveness as an educator. He has always been drawn to new curriculum development and classroom implementation, from Oregon Sea Grant to H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest collaborations, and even a trip to Japan to research and write lessons about a pioneering Japanese fish biologist. Brian has worked with CE. Clean Energy. Bright Futures to develop renewable energy, natural gas, and Water Power lessons, bringing in the expertise of partners, colleagues and professionals to develop and share curriculum with fellow educators. Brian has also worked with the Oregon Department of Education to revise the Oregon Science Assessment, field tested questions, student responses, and drafting a final test. He is a skilled presenter, sharing his units through the Oregon Science Teachers Association, UO STEM Core, Lane ESD, and SEA Grant.

Line drawing of a person in front of a board with lines on it in dark blue.
Jef Waibel

Blue Heron Middle School, Port Townsend WA

Jef is a 7th grade science teacher at Blue Heron Middle School in Port Townsend, WA.

Maddy Brown Headshot
Maddy Brown

Esquire Hills Elementary, Bremerton WA

Maddy teaches 4th grade at Esquire Hills Elementary in Bremerton, WA

Brandon DeBritz Headshot
Brandon DeBritz

Cedar Heights Junior High, Port Orchard WA

Brandon DeBritz is a Nationally Board Certified 7th grade teacher and science department chair at Cedar Heights Junior High School in the South Kitsap School District, Port Orchard, WA.

Diane Bedell Headshot
Diane Bedell

STEM Specialist, Blakely Elementary School, Bainbridge Island WA

Diane is a STEM specialist and Highly Capable teacher, working in elementary education since 1991. She has been at Blakely Elementary School on Bainbridge Island, WA since 2002.

Jill Queen Headshot
Jill Queen

x̌alilc (Halilts) Elementary School, Bainbridge Island WA

JIll Queen is the Coordinator for the Highly Capable Program and Art Specialist at x̌alilc (Halilts) Elementary on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Line drawing of a person in front of a board with lines on it in dark blue.
Nessa Goldman

Sequim School District, Sequim WA

Nessa is a middle school science teacher at an alternative school in Sequim School District. Throughout her career, she has worked to get more hands-on science lessons into elementary and middle school classrooms and to get student interested in their local ecology.