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In order to facilitate large-scale deployment of renewable energy on the U.S. power grid, batteries are essential to ensure consistent power supply. In the meantime, there are costs for both generators and batteries to be connected to the U.S. power grid, known as interconnection costs, which are high in places lacking grid infrastructure and hard to connect to the power grid. 

A University of Maryland Grand Challenges Grant is supporting research by Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Cecilia Huertas Cerdeira aimed at developing on-board energy harvesting for Earth observation unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

One of the current challenges our nation faces is the disparities present in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, wherein underrepresented minority students and women are significantly less likely to graduate with STEM majors. Due to under-privileged backgrounds, hardships caused by generations of discrimination, and ongoing racial segregation patterns in schools, the pathways to STEM education are far fewer and more difficult for many of the nation's children.