Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy Across Disciplines
Ann Batiza, Ph.D. Milwaukee School of Engineering
batiza@msoe.edu
The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education through Grant R305B070443, and by the National Science Foundation through Grant 1044898 to MSOE. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the U.S. Department of Education nor of the National Science Foundation. Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
Today I will discuss:
• SUN (Students Understanding eNergy) conceptual approach and tools
• Results of a cluster, randomized, controlled trial with teachers and students
• Suggested coherent energy treatment across disciplines
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
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SUN Concepts and Tools Make Accessible:
• What powers life – how and why
– Similarity of cellular respiration to a hydrogen fuel cell
– Similarities between cellular respiration and photosynthesis
• Coherent application of energy principles across disciplines
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
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What powers life?

SOURCE: Public domain image of a fertilized egg
SOURCE: Image from Wikipedia Commons, by Ernest F under GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
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The pioneering microbiologist A. J. Kluyver said,
“The most fundamental character of the living state is the occurrence in parts of the cell of a continuous and directed movement of electrons.” Kluyver, AJ and CB Van Niel (1956) The Microbe's Contribution to Biology. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass, p. 71.
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
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Effects of “spontaneously” moving electrons
SUN Microbial fuel cell, created by MSOE undergraduate, Heather Bobrowitz. SOURCE: Batiza
Lightning
SOURCE: Rainer Knapper
License: Artlibre
SOURCE: http://hilaroad.com/camp/projects/le
mon/lemon_battery.html
Lemon Battery
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
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Electron Movement Depends upon Relative Attraction
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
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Spontaneously Moving Electrons Release Energy
Energy
Reactants
Available
to do Work
E
Energy
Reactants
Net Energy Released
Products
Products
Progress of reaction
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
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Some of that Energy
Can be Harnessed to do Work
Energy
Reactants
Available
to do Work
E
Unusable
Energy
Energy
Reactants
Products
Products
Progress of reaction
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
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Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Electron Donor H2
Electron Acceptor O2
2H2 + O2  2H2O
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 10
Wikipedia Commons image by Louisa Howard of lung mitochondria
Electrons move in mitochondria along a specified path from donor to acceptor.
Food
Mitochondria provide ATP to power life.
Oxygen
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 11
SUN Tray as a Mitochondrion
Oxygen – Electron Acceptor
Food – Electron Donor
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 12
Mechanical ATP Synthase
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 13
SUN Mitochondrial E‐book
www.msoe.ed
u/academics/r
esearch_cente
rs/sun/
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
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Where did the food come from?
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 15
1:02 / 2:42
SUN Chloroplast E‐book
www.msoe.edu/academics/research_centers/sun/
YouTube SUN Project Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjSKuqUjyUQ
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 16
Long term Effects on Teachers
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 17
Long‐term teacher effects
Teacher Drawing with Explanation
Pre Workshop Post Workshop One Year Later
Drawings published in Batiza et al., CBE‐Life Sciences Education, June 1, 2013.
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 18
Teacher ‐ Drawing with Explanation 35
30
*
*
*
25
20
Treatment
***
15
Control
10
AP
5
0
PRE
POST
Mean 2009
Mean Year 1
PRE
POST
Mean 2010
Workshop
See Batiza et al., CBE‐Life Sciences Education, June 1, 2013.
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 19
Teacher ‐ Drawing with Explanation 35
*
30
*
*
25
20
Treatment
***
15
Control
10
AP
5
0
PRE
POST
Mean Year 1 Mean 2009
PRE
POST
Mean Year 2
Mean 2010
Batiza et al., CBE‐Life Sciences Education, June 1, 2013.
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 20
Significant Effects One Year After Workshop
• Teacher knowledge Large effect sizes of SUN vs. Controls
Multiple choice ‐ Effect size, d=.94 Drawing ‐ Effect size d=1.91
“I feel so much more confident and comfortable teaching it.” …. “The kids really respond to it.”
Batiza et al., CBE‐Life Sciences Education, June 1, 2013.
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 21
Analysis of HS Student Drawings
Images removed prior to publication.
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
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Regular Biology Student Achievement Rivals that of AP Students
Images removed prior to publication.
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 23
Final Project – Novel Fuel Cell Design
Sophomore Undergraduate BioEngineering Major
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 24
“What concepts make it apparent that the meaning of energy is equivalent across disciplines?”
The answers provide guides for developing coherent Energy across Disciplines and NGSS‐
aligned curricula along with:
‐Common visualizations
‐Common practices
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 25
Common Concept #1
1. Definition of the system vs. surroundings with components and interactions
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 26
Common Concept #2
2. 1st and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 27
Common Concept #3
3. Fundamental particle interactions drive energy transfer.
Note that the NRC K‐12 Framework for science education upon which the NGSS were modeled makes a similar recommendation regarding a coherent approach:
Energy is best understood at the microscopic scale, at which it can be modeled as either motions of particles or as stored in force fields (electric, magnetic, gravitational) that mediate interactions between particles (p. 121)
National Research Council (2012) A framework for K‐12 science education: practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas (Quinn et al., Eds.). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, p, 121.
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Common Concept #4
4. Use of joules in all disciplines.
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Following other Researchers
We have learned a great deal from the many researchers who have pondered how to make energy education coherent. Many of these concepts have been put forth in various combinations by individual researchers such as: Robert F. Chen, Melanie Cooper, Arthur Eisenkraft, Abe Fortus, Joe Krajcek, Robin Millar, Jeffrey Nordine, Helen Quinn, Roger Tobin and others to whom we are greatly indebted. But ours is the first framework to simply ask the question:
What concepts make it apparent that energy is equivalent across disciplines? And ours is the first framework to make accessible:
An energy‐coherent curriculum for biological energy transfer based on fundamental particle interactions.
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
Four Common Concepts should Guide Curricular Development
In Summary ‐ Curricula for each science discipline should consistently apply:
1. Definition of the system vs. surroundings with components and interactions
2. Application of the 1st and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics 3. Fundamental particle interactions that drive energy transfer.
4. Use of joules
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
Current Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) for Cellular Respiration
HS‐LS1‐7. Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the conceptual understanding of the inputs and outputs (emphasis added) of the process of cellular respiration.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment should not include identification of the steps or specific processes involved in cellular respiration.]
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 32
NGSS Standards Re: Biological Energy Transfer are Energy Incoherent
The standard HS‐LS1‐7 regarding cellular respiration
– merely declarative regarding energy transfer – provides no rationale for why or how energy transfer occurs
How can this standard possibly lead to energy coherence across disciplines?
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 33
SUN is Energy Coherent
‐ The SUN approach emphasizes the fundamental interactions that drive energy transfer.
‐ It also reinforces the first and second laws of thermodynamics.
‐ It can easily be adapted to reflect the other two concepts (definition of the system and use of joules) as well.
‐ Proven effective for long‐term gains by teachers (by ANOVA) and students (by HLM analysis) in cluster, randomized, controlled trial
Therefore SUN provides a gateway to energy across disciplines.
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15
IES‐Funded High School SUN Group
Ann Batiza, Ph.D., Director SUN –MSOE (PI)
Mary Gruhl, Ph.D. – Gruhl Education Consultants
Assoc. Prof. Bo Zhang – UW‐Milwaukee
Assoc. Prof. Wen Luo – Texas A&M
Emeritus Prof. David Nelson – UW‐Madison
Assoc. Prof. Bo Zhang – UW‐Milwaukee
Mark Hoelzer ‐ MSOE
Tom Harrington, M.S. – Bacon Academy, Storrs, CT.
Marisa Roberts , M.A.– Concordia College, WI
Mary Anne Haasch – Wauwatosa West, WI
Donna LaFlamme – St. Dominic School, WI
Jon Knopp, M.S. – International Baccaluaureate
Gina Vogt – Brown Deer HS, WI (now MSOE)
Prof. Eric Haggedorn – U Texas, El Paso
David Goodsell – Scripps Research Institute, CA.
Prof. David Marcey – CAL Lutheran U., CA.
Scientist Advisory Board
Prof. Rick Amasino – UW‐Madison
Paul Williams – WI Fast Plants
Prof. Ching Kung – UW‐Madison
Prof. Jim Mallmann ‐ MSOE Jean‐Yves Sgro, Ph.D. – UW‐Madison
Michelle Harris , Ph.D.– UW‐Madison
Beth Rosen, Ph.D. – UW Madison
Rich Phillips – MSOE
Prof. James Mallmann – MSOE
Acknowledgements
NSF‐funded Undergraduate SUN Group
Ann Batiza, Ph.D. Director SUN – MSOE (PI)
Assoc. Prof. Bo Zhang – UW‐Milwaukee
Prof. Carol Hirschmugl – UW‐Milwaukee
Emeritus Prof. David Nelson – UW‐Madison
Mark Hoelzer – MSOE
Prof. David Goodsell – Scripps Research Institute
Prof. Bob Hansen – St. Olaf College
Mary Ellen Kraus – Madison Area Technical College
Prof. David Marcey – California Lutheran University
Prof. Gul Afshan – MSOE
Assoc. Prof. Faisal Shaikh – MSOE
Javier Velasco – UW‐Madison
Coherent Energy Framework Development Team
Ann Batiza, Ph.D. Director SUN – MSOE Prof. Carol Hirschmugl – UW‐Milwaukee
Prof. Bob Hansen – St. Olaf College
Emeritus Prof. David Nelson – UW‐Madison
Marisa Roberts, M.A. – Concordia College. WI
Jonathan Knopp , M.S. – International Baccalaureate
Terry Hendrikse – Oostburg High School, WI
Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 35
Thank you for listening…
Ann Batiza, Ph.D. Milwaukee School of Engineering
batiza@msoe.edu
The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education through Grant R305B070443, and by the National Science Foundation through Grant 1044898 to MSOE. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the U.S. Department of Education nor of the National Science Foundation. Batiza. National Energy Education Summit. Life Runs on Fuel Cells – A Gateway to Energy across Disciplines 1.26.15 36