In this session, participants will explore wind energy as an essential component of Energiewende (transition to sustainable energy in Germany), then walk-through activities (virtual and hands-on) to teach wind power principles and engineering design to students of various ages.
Takeaways:
- Wind power is an essential component of energy production in Germany and the US, and is affected by many variables
- Student optimization of wind power has learning extensions for all areas of STEM, with easy modifications for all learners.
Kirstin Bullington has taught science, engineering, and computer science for the past eighteen years. Prior to teaching, she was a health specialist volunteer in the Peace Corps, Togo, where she discovered her passion for education. Kirstin is an alumna of Teachers for Global Classrooms (Senegal), the Transatlantic Outreach Program (Germany), and the Japan-US Teacher Exchange for Education for Sustainable Development. Participation in each of these programs led her to discover that students show greater aptitude and interest in engineering when presented from a relevant global context. Kirstin is currently the Next Energy Engineering Instructor at the Richland Two Institute of Innovation (R2i2) in Columbia, SC, where her students design and optimize alternative energy solutions for local and global challenges. Kirstin is the recipient of the South Carolina Outstanding Biology Teacher Award (2013), was named a finalist for the 2020 South Carolina STEM Educator of the Year and holds National Board Certification. Her hobbies include travel, cooking, and spending time with her husband, two children, and their menagerie of animals.