HOPE: Hydrogen Economy Workshops for High School Teachers
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By Mary-Rose Szoka de Valladres
President, M.R.S. Enterprises, LLC

There is widespread agreement that lack of education is a barrier to introduction and advancement of the hydrogen economy. Today's teachers and their students -- tomorrow's consumers and citizens -- are clearly key to our energy future. Experience suggests that one of the best ways to reach students is through their teachers. As a vehicle for technology transfer, it is the teachers who will educate students in hydrogen science and technology. But who will teach the teachers and how will the training be delivered?

New York State has found a solution. Over the past year, M.R.S. Enterprises, LLC, teamed with the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) and its partners (the New York Power Authority [NYPA] and the Long Island Power Authority [LIPA]) to deliver statewide hydrogen science and technology workshops to high school science and technology teachers. Committed to education through its Energy $mart Students Program and cognizant of the important role teachers and students will play in New York's energy future, NYSERDA selected M.R.S. to deliver "HOPE - the Hydrogen Economy" teacher workshops. HOPE stands for the Hydrogen Outreach Program for Education. The HOPE team -- experts in hydrogen and fuel cells as well as technology education --conducted four full day workshops and one half day workshop in locations around the state. The half day workshop was for the Science Teachers Association of New York (STANYS) conference.

The workshops featured hydrogen and fuel cell 101 presentations, as well as demonstration of a lab scale fuel cell car. There were interactive exercises and multiple hands-on activities, including the opportunity to experiment with real fuel cells and the chance to build a HOPEmobile. Teachers received the New HOPE Pilot^TM curriculum, which is based on the original HOPE Pilot^TM developed with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy. "One-day" and "One-Week" lesson plans accompany the curriculum. A video, reversible fuel cell car kit and experiment manual, along with supplementary HOPEmobile kits for enhanced classroom and laboratory activities completed the workshop offering to participating teachers.

Over 130 teachers attended the HOPE workshops. These teachers are expected to impact 13,000 New York students on an annual basis, or 65,000 over a five year period. All workshops received excellent ratings, including a commendation from STANYS that came with an invitation for M.R.S. to present at future conferences. The team looks forward to bringing New HOPE to many more teachers for their benefit and their students' education.

M.R.S. Enterprises, LLC provides management consulting services in strategic planning, business development, government relations and education for energy and environment. For more information email mrsenter@comcast.net or call 301/530-6591.

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