The Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI) has received a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support a new program focused on sustainable energy research for undergraduate students.

Students from ROSEI’s pilot program in 2023

Beginning next summer, the Research on Sustainable Energy Technology and Systems (ROSETAS) program will host 10 students from colleges and universities across the United States. These students will spend 10 weeks conducting hands-on research in the laboratories of ROSEI-affiliated researchers, focusing on sustainable energy systems and technology.

“A big part of ROSEI’s mission is to broaden the workforce pipeline in the sustainable energy field. To advance this mission, we want to share ROSEI’s unique resources in this area with students beyond Hopkins,” said Susanna Thon, director of ROSETAS and an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering and a core ROSEI researcher.

ROSETAS will focus on recruiting students from minority serving institutions, primarily undergraduate institutions, and community colleges. ROSEI director Ben Schafer, the Willard and Lillian Hackerman Professor of Civil and Systems Engineering, will serve as co-director of ROSETAS, and faculty from at least six different academic departments will be involved as mentors.

This is not ROSEI’s first foray into hosting a summer program for external undergraduate students. This summer, it hosted a pilot research program with five local students from beyond Johns Hopkins—an experience that Thon says will inform the ROSETAS program.

While ROSETAS students will primarily engage in the focused research projects typical of REU programs nationwide, the initiative also aims to provide them with a well-rounded experience. ROSETAS will do this by offering workshops on various topics, including policy, advocacy, and justice; commercialization of energy research; and pursuing a career in sustainability. Students will also have access to tours of Homewood campus laboratories, as well as offsite visits to sustainable energy workplaces like the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL), 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, and the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST).

Another unique aspect of ROSETAS is that the program will be open to students from a wide range of academic backgrounds—not just those currently studying engineering and science.

“We expect to have engineers and scientists but are also hoping to attract energy-interested students from areas like political science and economics. ROSEI has faculty from those departments among its ranks that we could pair with a ROSETAS student,” Thon said.

“Climate change is a critical issue, and we aim for students at ROSETAS to see their research as an integral part of improving our world. We believe we can achieve that by having a diverse set of students participating, giving them context on how their research fits into the larger societal context, and offering opportunities for growth outside of the lab,” she added.