Engaging Students in the Complex Issues Surrounding Data Center Thermal Management

Data centers consumed 1.5% of the electricity produced in the United States in 2007. This consumption, coupled with diminishing access to fossil fuels, provides scientists and engineers of this generation and the next with the challenge of making better use of available energy. This paper provides the foundation for a project-based learning module that will be implemented this coming spring for 200 ninth-grade students at the Downingtown STEM Academy. The project will focus on educating students about the function of the data center in their everyday lives and the energy consumption issues that are central to the design of next-generation data centers. Throughout this learning process students will be asked to research and develop new and innovative ways of addressing the issue. Student teams will present their responses to the essential question in progressively more detailed methods to garner feedback for reflection, revision, and further study. The culminating submission will be a video documentary developed, filmed, and edited by the team. These presentations will be included in a grade-wide live and online showcase of findings and recommendations, allowing students to share their findings and recommendations both locally and globally. Providing a learning opportunity that focuses on the current data center energy usage challenge, and the emergent technologies being used to address it, will connect students to a deeper understanding of the inner workings of the data center and its place in modern society.