After contemplating the problems our society faces regarding energy, the physics classes developed their own energy companies. The students pitched their company and tried to sell it as the best choice. The different energy sources were biomass, nuclear, wind, solar, clean coal, natural gas, and hydro/tidal power.
Within the group project, students assigned themselves to roles. The Vice President of Advertising was in charge of creating a company name, designing a logo, and writing a vision statement.
The CEO explained the economic benefits and explored how to alleviate economic drawbacks.
The Vice President of the Environment explained environmental benefits of the technology and tried to make the company as "green" as possible by countering environmental drawbacks.
The Vice President of Science described their technology's energy transfers, researched its efficiency, and highlighted cutting-edge innovations.
Lastly, the Vice President of Public Relations research “dirt” on other energy sources to bring up during the Q&A. This role summarized the argument for their technology and why it is the best choice of all others.
While being a fun group project, the material covered in the presentations was a great way for the students to learn about different solutions to our society's energy problems. Since the Vice Presidents of the Environment and Public Relations brought up drawbacks, the students got to see both sides of the argument.
This project can easily apply to the outside world. First, it is directly addressing energy problems and the different ways companies are trying to address them. Secondly, students practiced communication and research skills to make their company the most persuasive it could be. In the end, the physics students walked away with wholistic knowledge of energy sources and more developed group work skills.