RET site: integrating data-driven research in resilient energy systems across disciplines

The National Science Foundation Division of Engineering Education and Centers awarded Texas A & M University–Kingsville $599,997 on September 1, 2026, to operate a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site focused on integrating data-driven research in resilient energy systems across disciplines.

The project will strengthen a multidisciplinary community of practice at Texas A & M University–Kingsville by bringing together middle and high school teachers (grades 6–12) from rural and urban South Texas areas with teacher educators, researchers, industrial advisors, and graduate students to conduct authentic cutting-edge research on energy resilience and data science. Participants will develop innovative curricular modules for promoting energy resilience and data science literacy in middle and high school classrooms. The RET Site will integrate laboratory research, classroom teaching, and real-world industry experiences to deepen teacher and student understanding of data-driven energy resilience while exploring effective pedagogies for both rural and urban learners. The project also aims to build a future STEM workforce by developing potential researchers and educators from both rural and urban communities to engage with data-driven energy resilience research and address Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum requirements in energy and data science.

The award runs through August 31, 2029, with performance at Kingsville, Texas. Funding falls under the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041).

Abstract

The overarching goal of this renewal research experiences for teachers (RET) site at texas a & m university-kingsville is to strengthen the dynamic multidisciplinary environment and community of practice (COP) that has been established through the current RET site where research, education and outreach are integrated to provide middle and high school (grades 6-12) stem teachers from rural and urban areas with opportunities to conduct authentic cutting-edge research and develop a series of innovative curricular modules for promoting energy resilience and data science in south texas and beyond. The project will bring together teachers from rural and urban areas, teacher educators, researchers, industrial advisors, education and engineering graduate students around a shared goal of expanding and sharing knowledge on data-driven energy resilience. The RET site will facilitate the COP, where individuals share knowledge, learn together, and share common practices, to develop deep and rich understandings of data science and energy resilience as well as explore effective pedagogies to support both rural and urban middle and high school students? Learning in the fields. This RET site will enrich the stem research and education environment in south texas through the COP where laboratory research, classroom teaching, and real-world industry experiences are synergistically integrated. This RET site addresses the pressing challenges in data-driven energy resilience research and two important fields (energy and data science) in texas essential knowledge and skills curriculum requirements. The RET site builds on a vision of developing potential researchers and educators from both rural and urban communities to embrace the challenges of data-driven energy resilience research and building future stem workforce. Energy resilience research is a complex, multi-faceted theme where many disciplines interact for reliable and efficient usage of available resources. A data-driven research approach can expedite technological advancement and enable efficient decision making based on the vast data available in the U.S. The objectives of this renewal research experiences for teachers (RET) site at texas a & m university-kingsville are to: 1) provide research opportunities on different facets of data-driven resilient energy systems to middle and high school (grades 6-12) stem teachers; 2) increase the number of students pursuing stem majors and careers through a series of innovative curriculum development and implementation; and 3) strengthen the sustainable bond that has been created in the current RET site through the community of practice (COP) to accelerate stem education and workforce development in south texas. The renewal RET site focuses on data-driven resilient energy systems research that is a theme of both local and global significance. The proposed research covers data collection, data analysis, data visualization and decision making in three major research themes: 1) energy generation and storage, 2) energy demand and utilization, and 3) decision making in energy development. Ten teacher participants will be trained every year during six weeks of summer research in a collaborative group setting. The RET participants will tackle various topics in data-driven resilient energy systems research, interact with faculty and student mentors, and industrial advisors, and develop a holistic, systems-oriented perspective towards data-driven energy resilience research. The RET participants will learn the essentials of developing a research plan and driving the project forward to achieve milestones. They will design curricular modules based on their research with authentic mentorship from education faculty, research mentors, and industrial advisors, and will use these curricular modules in their classrooms along with other academic year follow-up activities to inspire students? Interests in stem. This project is jointly funded by the NSF engineering education and centers (EEC) section and the NSF civil, mechanical and manufacturing innovation (cmmi) section. 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.- subawards are not planned for this award.