From the Desk of the Chancellor, March 12, 2012

Chancellor Charles R. Bantz View print-quality image

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, who made a special visit to IUPUI’s campus to meet with university leaders and conduct a Town Hall forum with students to discuss the future of clean energy.

Secretary Chu’s visit came about following an announcement in September  that the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI would receive a $1.3 million grant from the Department of Energy to train undergraduate- and graduate-level students in manufacturing efficiency as part of the DOE’s Industrial Assessment Center program. The Purdue School of Engineering and Technology is one of only 24 schools across the nation—and the only institution in Indiana—selected to participate in the program.

In his remarks, Secretary Chu highlighted President Obama’s interest in boosting American manufacturing: “This is why the Energy Department is investing in innovative initiatives like the Industrial Assessment Center at IUPUI that is helping to train the clean energy workforce of tomorrow, while saving money for American companies and manufacturers."

Secretary Chu spent the first part of his visit touring the IUPUI Industrial Assessment Center  and various energy labs. The Energy Secretary then held a Town Hall forum with students, faculty, and business leaders to discuss the opportunity for our students and faculty to partner with industries to make significant energy efficiency and cost-saving gains.

The DOE assessment program is a natural fit for the School of Engineering and Technology, which has long advocated programs that train students to improve the efficiencies of manufacturing and energy-related processes. The school currently offers a B.S. in energy engineering—the only program of its kind in the nation—and works with its Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy to conduct energy-related research and disseminate its findings.

For more information about the DOE’s Industrial Assessment Center program, visit http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/tech_deployment/iacs.html.

Comments? Write chancllr@iupui.edu.