An enriched undergraduate research experience based on the simulation, experiments, and theory of fuel cells

Fuel cells are one of the key enabling technologies for future hydrogen economy. Some applications for fuel cells can be found in aerospace, automobile vehicles, power generation, etc. Despite their modern high-tech aura, fuel cells actually have been known to science for more than 150 years! It is the purpose of this paper to present a brief overview of the development and technology of fuel cells with its integration to the undergraduate electrical engineering education. This work attracted undergraduate students in the area of renewable energy by bringing them to a research work with a hands-on experience, where the students had the chance to study fuel cells and the feasibility of these technologies as a substitute to traditional fossil fuels. The students had the opportunity to do simulations, experiments, and acquire theory for an enriched electrical engineering undergraduate research experience. Clearly, undergraduate research works in renewable energy are an innovative and attractive way to make students aware of contemporary issues in areas like energy, globalization, state-of-the-art technologies, and attract them to pursue graduate studies in this area.