Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Nevada NASA Space Grant Launches Far-Reaching Program

Nevada teachers took part in a program to promote interest in STEM fields using drones. The project partners included Nevada State College (NSC), the Desert Research Institute (DRI), and Clark County School District (CCSD). The 25 in-service teachers received Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) training and participated in a lesson plan competition to use UAS to stimulate student interest in STEM fields. The winning teacher received a funded field trip to NSC for her AP physics class to receive hands-on practice with UAS.

3rd Quarter 2017 EPSCoR Highlights Now Available

STUDENT FOCUS: Students Dale Karas and Russell Pinnegar; 2017 Summer REX Program; Summer International Research Exchanges; Undergraduate Attends National Conference; 2017 Space Grant Consortium Student Awards; and Undergraduate Angela Garcia.

Nevada NASA EPSCoR Highlight: Miles Greiner, UNR

Advanced Transport Technologies for NASA Thermal Management/Control Systems. The goal of this research is to develop reliable, light-weight, low-power thermal management systems to precisely control the temperatures of critical NASA electronic systems. This research is developing a high-performance, two-phase mechanically pumped fluid loop (2φMPFL; Figure 1) to maintain the temperatures of several components within precise limits, even if their heat generations vary greatly.

Solar NEXUS UROP Featured Impact in NSF EPSCoR Brochure

Nevada’s EPSCoR project on the Solar Energy-Water-Environment Nexus has an Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program that provides students with an authentic research experience by engaging participants in research related to aspects of the project’s focus on other STEM-related topics. Working with faculty mentors, undergraduate students develop and submit project proposals.

Nevada STEM Mentor Network Launched

Nevada EPSCoR launches online resource: Nevada STEM Mentor Network providing access to Nevada’s finest mentors and premier research projects.

NSF RII Track 1: Solar Energy-Water-Environment Nexus

Five-year National Science Foundation award to study solar energy and its effects on Nevada (2013-2018).  We are leading research on solar energy generation and its impacts on water resources and the environment.  The Nexus project brings together a diverse and disciplined group of scientists, engineers, educators, and students working together to push the frontiers of science and education.

The Solar Energy Nexus infrastructure is designed to build collaboration among Nevada’s premier researchers and solar energy stakeholders to generate solar energy with minimal water use and environmental impact.  We are the workforce driving innovation in Nevada’s clean energy economy.

NSF Science360 News Headlines Dr. Jaeyun Moon, UNLV

Boosting the Efficiency of Concentrated Solar Power Systems featured in “Headlines” in the May 2nd, 2017 NSF Science360 News. NEXUS scientists develop new nanomaterial coatings to help absorb and reflect the sun’s rays

NSF Science360 News Headlines Dr. Erica Marti, UNLV

Shining a Light on Solar featured in “Headlines” in the February 2nd, 2017 NSF Science360 News. NEXUS Solar Kits project illuminates solar energy concepts for both teachers and high school students

NSF Science360 News Headlines Dale Devitt, UNLV

Sleuthing solar’s side effects featured in “Headlines” in the January 5th, 2017 NSF Science360 News. NEXUS researchers investigate solar facilities’ impacts on the local climate and environment.

NSF Science360 News Headlines Dr. Robert Boehm, UNLV

Clean and Dry: Water-Free Cooling for Solar Energy featured in “Headlines” in the October 4th, 2016 NSF Science360 News. NEXUS scientists investigate more efficient dry cooling systems for thermal power plants