Renewable Energy Academic Partnerships (REAP) Student Summer Research Program Review Meeting, 7 August 2006, Denver, Colorado (Program and Abstracts)

The DOE-NREL Minority University Research Associates Program (MURA) is an undergraduate research program that encourages minority students to pursue careers in science and technology. In this program, undergraduate/graduate students perform renewable energy research projects during the academic year with principal investigators at their university and are awarded summer internships in industry orat national laboratories such as NREL during the summer. By providing renewable energy research opportunities, the program has proven to be very successful in retaining minority undergraduate students in the science and technology areas and helping many students reach their educational and career goals. The MURA program is open to all minority-serving colleges and universities including TribalColleges-Universities, Hispanic, Alaska Native, and Hawaiian Native serving colleges and the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Each university will conduct research in 1-3 areas: Basic Research, Photovoltaic Panel Measurement and Testing, and Solar Radiation Profile Study. Expansion to other solar energy technologies such as wind, bioenergy, and geothermal will provide additionalsolar energy project opportunities and internships. Students involved in research excel in the classroom learning experience and are committed to contribute to the development of renewable energy technologies to create a sustainable environment.