Energy education curriculum projects increase Texas teachers' awareness of alternative energy in their communities and improve their understanding of the nature and extent of energy and its resources, energy conservation and efficiency, the economic and environmental effects of energy use, and alternative energy technologies.

Energy Education Curriculum
The U.S. Department of Energy, SECO and the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) have partnered four grants since 1995, developing well-received curriculum supplements for use in Texas classrooms. The curriculum has won a Telly award for the 13-minute introductory video “Way Cool Fuels” and The Crystal Award of Excellence for an interactive CD. Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions.

The Energy Education Curriculum Program is a partnership with the RRC, Alternative Fuels Research and Education Division. Existing interactive curriculum is being expanded from four to five units and made ready for web delivery. Expansion of the material includes streamlining existing secondary education materials on renewable energy and energy efficiency and conservation into one electronic product for web delivery and CD production. Tests are being updated to reflect changes in educational standards and teacher requests.

Curriculum updates reflect the newest technology relating to alternative energy and alternative fuels. The updates will encompass emissions, forecasts, recent research on global climate change and the benefits alternative energy provides in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and demand on energy resources.

Energy Education Outreach
SECO promotes the Energy Education Program through statewide workshops, sponsorship of a national energy competition, attending and presenting at conferences and developing and distributing promotional material. Approximately 2,500 teachers have attended workshops and taken materials back to the classrooms reaching over 350,000 students. Teacher evaluations have ranked the workshops and materials 9.5 on a scale of 10. Many educators and students have been reached through the web delivery and promotional materials.

In the 2006-2007 school years, SECO will use the energy curriculum CD in conducting 15 continuing education accredited workshops on alternative energy for approximately three hundred science teachers and other educators. The program will reach an additional estimated 45,000 middle and high school students.

The targeted areas for energy education and outreach in Texas are the Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Tyler/Longview, El Paso and West Texas regions. Brochures will be developed and distributed at workshops and conferences to promote all SECO education programs. Awards and recognition will be given to students participating in the National Energy Foundation’s Igniting Creative Energy competition.

Texas State Technical College Fuel Cell Curriculum
The Fuel Cell Curriculum portion of the Energy Education Program is a SECO partnership with Texas State Technical College (TSTC) in Waco supporting Fuel Cell Curriculum Development at the college level. This partnership has developed specific lesson plans and requisite lab environment profiles for a full curriculum that has been approved by the Texas Education Agency. The curriculum was included in the 2005 courses. To increase course registration, TSTC will market the fuel cell curriculum to universities, community colleges and career fairs statewide.  For additional information, see:

 SECO Sponsors Fuel Cell Curriculum. 

Effects of Energy Use on Coastal Environments Curriculum Development
Through a partnership with the University of Texas, Bureau of Economic Geology and the Meadows Foundation, SECO is developing a virtual reality (VR) computer model allowing students to investigate the consequences of energy use and benefits of energy efficiency on coastal environments. This lesson will demonstrate how pollution affects coastal environments and will emphasize energy efficiency and conserving energy as a means to reduce emissions, thereby protecting our coastal environment. Students will compare the condition of the coastal environment surrounding the Galveston area over the last 150 years along with carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide levels, and temperature using geographic information systems (GIS) technology. They will graphically project these escalating conditions into the future (their life-span) to see how our coastal environment may change if we don’t become more energy conscious. Then they will analyze what needs to be done to reduce emissions through energy efficiency and conservation measures, including the use of alternative energy sources, and how these reductions may affect a change in our coastal environment over time.

The Bureau will work with SECO to develop inquiry-based lesson plans for secondary schools and field test the lesson in six high schools through the Bureau’s Texas High-School Coastal Monitoring Program.

—Return to Top of Page—

Send comments, questions, and suggestions to website manager.