UMass Amherst Summer Pre-College: Energy Without Borders

Learn about Summer 2024 Pre-College opportunities at UMass Amherst. Our residential and online pre-college programs are designed to give you a preview of the UMass student experience, including college-level academics and being part of a learning community of high school students from all across the U.S. and the world. Our programs feature faculty-led courses, state-of-the-art facilities, and the #1 campus dining in the U.S., as ranked by the Princeton Review.

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Climate Change, Energy Transition and Equity

Climate change has wide-reaching effects, including limited access to electricity and life-saving medical care in low-income communities worldwide. As we transition to green, renewable energy sources, policymakers and engineers face the challenge of making essential resources such as electricity, water, and healthcare accessible to all.

In this course, high school students will use hands-on research methods and data lab sessions to investigate the links between climate change, the green energy transition, and access to resilient infrastructure, and envision new solutions to existing inequities.

Students will complete at least four labs consisting of renewable energy site visits on campus, data collection, and analysis using the R programming language. In order to understand electricity access and its impact on people's lives across the globe, we will also work with data from countries outside the U.S. Students will then manipulate this quantitative energy data to infer demand patterns, and will present their findings through research posters.

Participants will come away with a greater understanding of the challenges faced by communities with limited access to electricity and the ability to calculate the trade-offs involved in making decisions about green energy technology investments. The theories and methods taught in this class are based on engineering economics and decision analysis. However, the skills and concepts learned can be applied to many other disciplines and are crucial for ensuring a sustainable future.

Students interested in engineering, programming, economics, or climate justice are invited to apply. You will need a computer or smartphone to analyze data. No previous programming experience is required.

This course is offered at the UMass Amherst campus as a residential program. Local students may apply to attend as a commuter.

Dates: June 30 - July 13, 2024

Two-Week Residential Intensives: $3,636

*Program fees listed above include tuition and room & board.
*All programs require submission of $35 application fee.