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<br />c_ - <br />COLUMN <br /> <br />r <br /> <br />Bay Area Business In Brief <br />Workforce Preparing For <br />Fuel Cell Technology <br /> <br />B Y T I l\j ALP, i'J I f'J G H A 1'1 <br /> <br />Thanks to the Bay 1 .'IrF'" 'n <br />Economic Partnet'ship's Spal:e Alli..iice <br />Technology Outreach Program (SA TOP) , <br />the state of Texas is prepared to train a <br />workforce in the emerging field of fuel cell <br />technology. <br />Like most inventions at NASA, fuel cell <br />technology began making its way into the <br />business world when it became apparent <br />that it could have numerous applications <br />on Earth. Automobile corporations and <br />energy giants began researching and devel- <br />oping the energy efficient technology, <br />which was originally invented to provide an <br />efficient means of power on the moon and <br />later, for the sp:I(~P shIlttle, <br />In the state of Texas, educators had <br />the foresight to know that unless there was <br />a skilled workforce within the state, Texas <br />would not benefit from the fuel cell tech- <br />nology market that was soon to come. <br />Hence, experts were recruited from 3.&~und <br />the nation and a consortium was formed to <br />develop a curriculum for the Texas <br />Department of Education. <br />Texas State Technical College contact- <br />ed SATOP and requested that a NASA fuel <br />cell technology expert assist with develop- <br />ing the curriculum. SATOP matched United <br />Space Alliance Engineer Mark Welch with <br />the project. <br />WeIch, a fuel cell engineer for the <br />Space Shuttle Program, participated in a <br />two-day workshop that included a panel of <br />the nation's leading fuel cell experts. <br />Together, they outlined the technical skills <br />and general requirements for training fuel <br />cell maintenance technicians. The two-day <br />event was held in Houston and hosted by <br />Waco's Texas State Technical College. The <br />College utilized a Carl Perkins Leadership <br />Grant from the TeXllS Higher Education <br />Coordinating Board to fund travel expenses <br />for the 14 pioneering fuel cell technology <br />experts who came from California, lllinois <br />and New York. The workshop participants <br />succeeded in identifying the tasks and com- <br />petencies required of fuel cell technicians. <br />Utilizing the framework created by the <br />workshop participants, members of the <br />newly formed Texas Fuel Cell Consortium <br />began the task of developing the curricu- <br />lum to train future fuel cell technicians. <br />Members of the Texas Fuel Cell Consortium <br />included representative from Dallas County <br />Community College District, Del Mar <br />College, Lamar Institute of Technology, <br />North Harris Montgomery Community <br />College District, Southwest Texas Junior <br />College. St. Phillip's College and Texas State <br />Technical Colleges in Harlingen and Waco. <br />NASA Engineer Harry Erwin, a full- <br />time SATOP advisor, continued offering <br /> <br />-- <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />IV/IV. 2.00't <br /> <br />technical assistance for fuel cell technology <br />by serving on the consortium throughout <br />its duration. Welch and Erwin were able to <br />provide much needed insight to the physics <br />of fuel cell technology, The greatest contri- <br />bution was their ability to translate com- <br />plex processes into simple, everyday lan- <br />guage so they could be understood by lay- <br />men. <br />The Texas Department of Education is <br />scheduled to finalize the curriculum some- <br />time next year. In the mean time, coUeges <br />around the state have begun building fuel <br />cell labs in preparation for the courses that <br />could be developed. <br />This is Ll1e first time SATOP has <br />worked with an entity other than a small <br />business. Its mission is to help small busi- <br />nesses, but in this case, the workforce must <br />be trained before the technology can be uti- <br />lized. Once Texas has a workforce that is <br />slilllcd in fuel cell technology, small busi- <br />nesses will begin building products that <br />will run on fuel cells. <br />Bay Area Houston is an economically and <br />internationally diversified, high-tech region <br />that is home to NASA Johnson Space Center <br />and numerous industries including aero- <br />space, information technology, biotechnol- <br />ogy, maritime and specialty chemical. <br />Bay Area Houston Economic <br />Partnership is a nonprofit organization <br />that promotes the growth of the Bay Area <br />Houston region through the retention, <br />expansion and recruitment of target indus- <br />tries. Visit www.bayareahouston.com. <br /> <br />AboutSATOP <br />The NASA-funded Space Alliance <br />Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) <br />provides small-businesses with free tech- <br />nical assistance through the u.se of the <br />u.s. Space Program, as well as aerospace <br />contractors, NASAfield centers, universi- <br />ties and colleges. These organizations <br />join SATOP as Space Alliance Partners, <br />which donate time and expertise to help <br />SATOP speed the transfer of space tech- <br />nology to the private sector. Platinum <br />level Space Alliance Partners include 4fT <br />& Associates, Lockheed Martin, TEAM <br />Specialty Products, and The Boeing <br />Company, For more information about <br />SATOp, or to request technical assistance, <br />please visit www.SpaceTechSolutions. <br />com. <br /> <br />-~> <br /> <br />(/(\ BAY AREA <br />.~~\HO~ST~) N <br /> <br />~,::'-:;, Dlscover Your Space <br />Explore Your Opportunities <br /> <br />l' <br />