Area colleges start green programs

It's a conglomeration of switches, outlets and meters, but it will help faculty at Southeast Missouri State University train the next generation of green-minded employees.

In a lab in the Polytechnic Building at Southeast Missouri State University, faculty are assembling training stations that will get their students versed in solar and wind energy sources. Each station includes a wind turbine and a solar panel.

By the end of the program, students will know how to design, repair and build complex energy systems, said Brad Deken, an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial and Engineering Technology.

"You can't just know the electricity, you have to know the construction," Deken said.

The university received a WIRED grant to expand its sustainability training in the classroom and in the work force. Southeast bought equipment to start a new option for technology management majors. In the fall, students in the major can study sustainable energy systems management. Students will also train on ethanol distillation and solar-thermal systems.

Spurred in part by the WIRED Initiative, new sustainability programs are popping up across the region. Three programs in Southeast Missouri will begin this fall along with other green initiatives funded through the $5 million three-year grant.

About $1.1 million went to green technology programs in conjunction with Southeast, Three Rivers Community College, Mineral Area College, the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center and the Memphis Bioworks Foundation.

Southeast Missouri is ahead of the curve, said Dr. Ragu Athinarayanan, chairman of the department of industrial and engineering technology. He said there are about 131,000 green-related jobs throughout the state, the majority in the construction industry.

"We want to be able to support the growth of green economy in Southeast Missouri," Athinarayanan said.

As Southeast pursues opportunities for its students, he said work-force training is also important. The university holds workshops and training sessions for people already in the field.

"We cannot ignore the people who are already in the work force," he said.

At Mineral Area, in Park Hills, Mo., students will have the new option to pursue a renewable energy technology degree.

Gil Kennon, vice president of college affairs, said the college had been pursuing funding for the program before the grant, which boosted the program. It will focus on solar and wind technology as well as biofuels.

"I just thought we were in a really good position geographically to do some things, especially with biofuels," Kennon said.

He said the college has been working since January to develop new classes. Students in other programs will be able to use the courses to meet general requirements for other degree. There is already interest among students for the program.

"We think that we're going to have a big response to it," Kennon said.

When Three Rivers opens its new center in Dexter, students will have the option to study green diesel technology. The program builds on existing training programs at the Industrial Development Authority of Stoddard County.

"The green technology portion of it comes in a number of ways," said Dr. Wes Payne, vice president for learning.

Stitched throughout the curriculum are topics like mechanical requirements for new fuels, testing for efficiency standards and running an environmentally friendly shop, he said. The Dexter Center is tentatively slated to open in January.

Payne said there will be certification programs embedded in an associate degree. The programs will give the students another skill set to market.

"They're going to be able to compete with anybody out there," he said.

abusch@semissourian.com

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