A Student-Driven Approach to Fusion Energy: Workforce Development and Education through the STAR_Lite Stellarator Project

The STAR_Lite stellarator project at Hampton University, provides a novel framework for fusion workforce development by fully integrating students from high school (building the ⅕ STAR_little prototype) through undergraduate levels in its design, simulation, and construction. Recent progress from our summer program highlights this student-led approach. Key student-driven highlights include:

Power Systems Integration: Undergraduates established software control over the high-current DC motor controller, successfully interfacing the battery system with a PC to achieve throttle manipulation.

Automated Field Mapping: Students developed robust control scripts for a 3-axis Thorlabs stage, creating a versatile protocol for the precise, automated 3D mapping of the magnetic field with a Hall probe array of their own design.

Multiphysics Modeling: The stellarator coils were modeled in COMSOL to validate the magnetic field design and begin analysis of electromagnetic forces and structural mechanics.

This project-based model provides students with comprehensive experience in hardware integration, control software, and computational physics, preparing a diverse workforce for the growing fusion ecosystem.