learning - Monroe County Community College

MCCC FOCUSES EFFORTS ON
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
College Receives $200,000 Earmark for Nuclear Technology Program
In February, U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell announced that MCCC had received a $200,000
federal earmark to begin the process of starting its own nuclear engineering
technology program.
Presently, a nuclear engineering technology program is available to MCCC students in
conjunction with Kirtland, Ohio’s Lakeland Community College, where the program is
housed, and DTE Energy, which provides the internship component. Students complete
the initial two-thirds of their course work at MCCC and the remaining course work at
LCC via distance learning equipment donated by DTE Energy.
MCCC Announces Training Partnership with New Wind
Tower Manufacturer
MCCC formed a training partnership with Ventower Industries, which broke ground
in March on a 115,000-square foot wind tower manufacturing facility within the Port
of Monroe. The facility will build up to 250 towers per year and is expected to begin
taking orders in 2011. The college assisted with the groundbreaking for Ventower, which
included a keynote address by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. MCCC President Dr. David E.
Nixon served as emcee.
Donation to Support Alternative/Renewable Energy
Curriculum Development
In May, the DTE Energy Foundation announced a $45,000 grant and additional
in-kind donation of solar equipment to MCCC in support of curriculum development
that would encompass solar, wind, hybrid and hybrid/electric technologies.
The equipment is from DTE Energy’s
SolarCurrents program, which offers incentives
to customers installing photovoltaic systems.
The company is upgrading to new equipment
and donated existing infrastructure that is
still viable for instruction, including 26
working solar panels, various inverter controllers
and disconnect switches, and racking and
framing hardware.
Completion of a SolarCurrents program
installation on the MCCC campus is planned
for early 2011.
Parmeshwar (Peter) Coomar, dean of the Industrial Technology Division at MCCC,
said the division would initially provide training for Ventower in areas such as welding,
instrumentation control and hands-on manufacturing.