This unique program pairs high school science teachers with a mentor doing cutting-edge research in an academic lab or a lab associated with another nonprofit institution. The Murdock Trust awards approximately 25 Partners in Science grants each year to fund these teacher-mentor research opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. Our goal is to help teachers bring knowledge from the research lab directly into the classroom to promote hands-on science education.
Solar Photovoltaic
A free iPhone app that allows you to take data on irradiance (in Watts/area), to be able to compare electrical output from solar photovoltaic panels to the irradiance they receive.
An interactive map-based listing of major operating, proposed, approved, or other renewable energy projects in the Pacific Northwest US, including owners and generating capacity.
Electrical Energy and Solar Module Efficiency
This lesson will let students do research to define terms that will be used in this unit. They will record this information in their Journals, which can be scientific or simple homemade notebooks. This lesson will also introduce the multimeter, small solar...
Solar Car Challenge: Introduction of the Problem
Students will play around with the solar car kits to familiarize themselves with the materials in preparation for the solar car engineering challenge.
How the Amount of Light Affects a Solar Cell
Students will cover portions of a solar cell and measure the output with a multimeter. They will compare and contrast the outputs of different percentages shaded and different configurations using the same percentage shaded.
Introduction to the Photovoltaic Effect
This lesson begins with basic chemistry with regards to atomic structure. The lesson then moves to understanding the special properties of silicon as a photoelectric semi- conductor. Building on this, the basic structure of photovoltaic solar cells is...
Introducing the Solar Mobile Design Challenge
This lesson is aimed to engage students and build excitement for their future engineering design challenge of building the fastest Solar Powered Mobile. Through multi-media resources, Students will encounter real life solar aircrafts and a room-sized...
Informative Writing: Where Does Energy Come From?
This lesson is a (stand alone or in-unit) guided non-fiction research and writing project, which includes a differentiated choice menu and list of ideas for publishing the completed project. Each student will choose one of ten energy sources to research,...
Cost Effective Solar Cells: Solar Energy Equity and Sustainability
This lesson is designed to span 2 days with 40-minute sections. On the introduction day, three solar power articles will be read to set up a Socratic Seminar dialogue on Day 2. A teacher will need to read the articles. The articles investigate the pros and...
Contact Us
Bonneville Environmental Foundation
1500 SW 1st Avenue, Suite 710
Portland OR 97201
phone: 503-248-1905