ENGAGING UNDERGRADUATES IN THE STUDY AND RESEARCH OF ENERGY RESOURCES

This talk describes the creation of a senior capstone course for energy resource engineers. In 2006, the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Stanford University evolved its academic and research mission to undertake a broader set of energy-related activities and education including geothermal reservoir engineering and other renewable resources, geological sequestration of carbon dioxide, optimization of energy recovery with consequent minimization of environmental impact, and clean energy conversion. The new Department is named Energy Resources Engineering (ERE). Consistent with these changes, a new B.S. in ERE replaced the B.S. in Petroleum Engineering. An essential core class for the B.S. in ERE is ENERGY 199—Senior Research and Seminar in ERE. This new course combines elements of original research with a traditional capstone experiences for engineers. ENERGY 199 is designed to allow students to apply their engineering and foundational earth sciences knowledge through original engineering research and design. The topics are designed to be engaging and present realistic scientific and engineering challenges. An example topic is the conversion of a depleted oil reservoir to a synthetic geothermal reservoir for storage of solar thermal energy. Emphasis is placed on application of skills. A seminar style is maintained to facilitate peer and faculty review of student work products, presentations, and report writing.