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MATC Receives Federal Grant
for Renewable Energy Consortium
The National Science
Foundation has awarded Madison Area Technical College (MATC) a grant for
$420,280 for support of a project to create the Consortium for Education
in Renewable Energy Technologies. The goals of the consortium are to provide
technical training and education in renewable energy to students and the
workforce and to train teachers on both the college and high school level
to provide education in this area. Through a partnership with the Wisconsin
Educational Communications Board, the consortium also will provide a public
forum for discussion of renewable energy technologies.
Also planned is a resource clearinghouse for information on renewable
energy and the development of curriculum and instructional materials through
a MATC initiative called "CREA-ATE," the Center for Renewable
Energy, Agriculture and Advanced Technological Education.
" The vision for CREA-ATE is to educate skilled professionals for
jobs in the area of renewable energy by preparing faculty and developing
curriculum and hands-on learning activities. We want to connect research
and development to practice," says Joy McMillan, principal investigator
for the project and associate dean for MATC's Agriscience, Apprenticeship,
Technical and Industrial Division.
The Consortium will include representatives from MATC, Alliant Energy
Corp., the Wisconsin Technical College System Board and Foundation, Nicolet
Area Technical College, Milwaukee School of Engineering, several Wisconsin
state agencies, energy consultants, equipment producers and skilled trades
associations.
Why devote so many resources
to renewable energy? Experts predict that by the year 2010 the world will
be using 90 million barrels of oil per day while oil reserves will dwindle.
We won't run out of oil by then but we will certainly run out of "cheap"
oil. Adding to the problems of depletion, pollution levels and geopolitical
factors, oil is and will be increasingly expensive. Most experts in the
energy field also agree that more research and more trained workers will
be needed as we move away from petroleum and toward more renewable energy
resources.
"The field of renewable
energy is growing and skilled workers are needed to fill these positions.
Wisconsin can become a leader in renewable energy if we prepare our workforce.
The Consortium and CREA-ATE provide the necessary resources and support
to respond to this need," says McMillan.
MATC is one of the largest
of the Wisconsin Technical College System's 16 colleges. It provides a
comprehensive curriculum of technical, liberal arts and science, adult
basic education and life enrichment studies and activities, as well as
customized employee training. The college serves all or parts of 12 counties
located in southcentral Wisconsin and offers instruction through five
campuses and various other locations throughout the district.
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Last
Modified:
September 25, 2002
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