Conference presentation
Lessons Learned: Outreach Efforts in Building Science Education
ACEEE
17th biennial ACEEE Conference, 2012 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, 17th (Pacific Grove, California, United States, 13 Aug 2012 - 17 Aug 2012)
2012
Abstract
This paper analyzes the effectiveness of a community outreach program that aimed to improve young people’s skills and job prospects in energy and environmental conservation in Western Massachusetts. The program included young people between 16 and 20 years old enrolled in GED preparation at YouthBuild-Holyoke and vocational students from Putnam Technical High School, many of whom were predominantly low-income, minority, at-risk youth. Graduate students taught the energy efficiency workshops that were designed to give young people valuable job skills for the green building industry. The focus of each workshop was on teaching principles of energy efficiency, durability, and health effects in the residential sector, as well as providing field training in energy auditing and weatherization. A main challenge of the workshops was the lack of integration into an existing building science curriculum, though there were measurable positive outcomes that resulted from the outreach effort. This paper analyzes how well the program addressed student goals and objectives, and suggests lessons on how to successfully prepare young people entering the green building workforce by exposing them to a variety of professions, teaching beneficial professional and technical skills, and providing job placement opportunities.
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Details
- Title
- Lessons Learned: Outreach Efforts in Building Science Education
- Creators
- Stephanie Berkland - University of Massachusetts AmherstSimi T Hoque - University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Conference
- 17th biennial ACEEE Conference, 2012 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, 17th (Pacific Grove, California, United States, 13 Aug 2012 - 17 Aug 2012)
- Publisher
- ACEEE; Washington, DC
- Number of pages
- 8
- Resource Type
- Conference presentation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Identifiers
- 991021884587404721