Discovery Projects
Hydrogen Student Design Contest
The Hydrogen Education Foundation’s Hydrogen Student Design Contest challenges teams of
university-level students from around the world to develop and design hydrogen applications for realworld
use. The joint student design project challenges multi-disciplinary teams of university-level
students to apply their creativity and academic skills in the areas of design, engineering, economics,
environmental science, and business and marketing to the developing hydrogen economy.
EdVenture Hands-on Alternative Energy Exhibit
The Collaborative provided funding to create an exhibit at the EdVenture Museum to focus on alternative energy technologies, specifically fuel cell technologies, and the changing global environment. With one of the Collaborative’s goals being to promote discovery of new intellectual property surrounding fuel cells, engaging students at a young age is a key component in an integrated, long-term strategy for developing the talent pool which we will need to be competitive in the knowledge economy
Citizens’ School on Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology
This project developed an outreach program to help non-experts acquire the background and confidence needed to claim active and constructive roles in the processes of fuel cells and other energy policies. This program consisted of eight sessions, including a tour of scientific labs doing fuel cell research and a roundtable discussion with experts. This program provided innumerable opportunities for participants to become actively engaged in fuel cell activities and discussions.
Green Machine Competition
The Green Machine Competition challenges teams of young people and their mentors to solve a common problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard "kit of parts" where they construct robots to enter into a competition. For this competition, the robots must be powered by fuel cells, and the Collaborative funded a fuel cell kit which enabled participants to compete, By exposing high school students to fuel cells and their operation, the Collaborative is not only supporting early educational awareness, but also planting the seed for long-term innovation from these students.
Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Demonstration
This project demonstrated the feasibility of using emerging Solid Oxide fuel cell technology in a high temperature electrolysis (HTE) application to satisfy program and mission requirements for both the Dept. of Energy’s Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative and DARPA’s bi-electrode supported cell technology program. This effort aligns with research underway at SRNL focused on the design of the Gen-IV commercial nuclear power plant and with previous work in high temperature electrolysis funded by the NASA Glenn Research Center. The project created a table top demonstration of the bi-electrode supported cell HTE concept as a "proof of concept" for federal government customers.
K-12 Educational Program
Attempting to acquaint Columbia children attending middle school with fuel cell technology and ideas, the Collaborative supported a project to design and develop tailored educational materials and appropriate curricula to be presented in Richland and Aiken county public schools. The project coordinated with school district administrators and educators to satisfy state-mandated learning objectives, to train a core team of teachers, and to pilot each curriculum within the public schools.