Aspiring engineers recently put their knowledge of sustainability to the test at Tuskegee University during a “hackathon” hosted by the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) Birmingham Chapter.

Five teams of high school graduates who are enrolled in the university’s FASTREC summer program were tasked with designing a “green neighborhood” of 25 homes for metro Birmingham that included energy-efficient and environmentally friendly features and technologies. Other criteria for the neighborhood included affordability and security.

The teams, made up of five students each, presented their ideas in July before their peers and a panel of judges from AABE’s Birmingham Chapter.

FASTREC introduces high school grads to the world of engineering at Tuskegee University. (contributed)

FASTREC is an eight-week summer program for high school graduates who are eligible for or have been accepted for admission to Tuskegee. The program provides an intensive course for students interested in mathematics, engineering and honing their study skills and offers up to nine credits toward a bachelor’s degree in engineering.

After receiving an overview of the challenge, the student teams had two weeks to collaborate, research and design their green neighborhood “hack” using the Human Centered Design process. Judges ranked the projects following the presentations, awarding a first, second and third place plus two honorable mentions. All participants received prizes, with the top three groups receiving gift cards.

“Typically, our chapter sponsors a hackathon annually with Birmingham-area high school students,” said Ernest Burnley, a Birmingham-based supervisor at Southern Nuclear, a sister company of Alabama Power, and AABE Birmingham chapter president. “The opportunity to work with Tuskegee University students was amazing and they did not disappoint.”

AABE Birmingham Chapter members were subject matter experts to the FASTREC students throughout the green neighborhood research and design process.

Five teams of high school graduates enrolled in the university’s FASTREC summer program were tasked with designing a “green neighborhood.”  (contributed)

“The students performed at an extremely high level, as expected,” Burnley added. “We are looking forward to the next opportunity to work with students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).”

Alabama has the most HBCUs of any state, with eight historically Black four-year schools and six community colleges.

AABE chapters are dedicated to promoting and building awareness around energy issues and sustainability by offering community engagement opportunities and innovative educational programs. Another focus for AABE is encouraging African American students to pursue careers in energy-related fields.

Learn more about AABE’s Birmingham chapter here.