Richard Engel
SERC received word in June that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected us for negotiation of an award to develop hydrogen curriculum for California’s public universities.
Key elements of our proposal, submitted to DOE in December 2007, include:
- the creation of curriculum modules suitable for use in chemistry and engineering courses;
- design and fabrication of fuel cell test equipment and fuel cell/electrolyzer kits for laboratory use;
- student monitoring and analysis of real-world hydrogen fueling stations.
DOE will contribute approximately $400,000 in funding, with nearly $100,000 in cost share being added by SERC.
Our major partner in carrying out the three-year project will be the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Working in partnership with ITS, we will develop the curriculum modules and build the needed equipment during year one. In the second year, we will pilot test the curriculum and lab equipment in classrooms at UC Berkeley and Humboldt State University. We will expand the project to include other UC and California State University campuses in year three.
Additional project partners will include fuel cell industry leaders Jadoo Power Systems, Inc., Protonex Technology Corporation, UTC Power, and IdaTech LLC. These companies will provide summer internships for participating students.
