This was my first full week at the FREEDM Systems Center as well as the week after training at NCCAT with the rest of the Kenan Fellows.

A few roadblocks occurred; I attempted to contact WCPSS facilities about the solar array at WFHS – DEAD END (so far). The solar array at FREEDM is at best “glitchy” – the inverters constantly power down which makes it difficult for the team at IBM to create their analytical software.

Moving Forward; Alexis, the Undergraduate Researcher that I am working with, has been working to stabilize and update the interactive display. He has also kept in touch with the IBM team and has been contacting an engineer to troubleshoot the FREEDM solar array inverter issues. I have been given a lot of creative flexibility for now, so I put together a proposed lesson outline for Kenan that I plan to incorporate with the research and data. I also completed one of the ten activities for students that fits within the lesson.

Future plans – I plan to submit my lesson outline to Dr. Pritchard upon his return. I also plan to investigate other avenues for tracking down the WFHS solar array data and send out a few emails toward that goal.

I cannot possibly describe how deeply honored I am to be chosen as a Kenan Fellow. As I listen to the other teachers around the room, I feel inspired to dive deep into this program and make this a truly extraordinary experience. The Kenan Institute training was probably the best week of professional development I have had in my career. I hope others have a chance to experience this in years to come.