Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - For the last nine years, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Foundation has provided dollars, through the UW-Platteville Foundation Opportunity Fund, to support projects to do those things that were a priority but that departmental/unit budgets couldn't cover. To date, well over 110 grants have been awarded with a total dollar figure of over $750,000. In 2008, the UW-Platteville Foundation has allocated around $75,000 for Opportunity Fund projects.

Funds were awarded to projects which address UW-Platteville's new academic initiatives; projects with goals to increase student recruitment and retention in specific geographic areas or in programs where capacity exists; projects designed to develop partnerships, on or off campus; and activities or programs that improve the quality of life of our educational community.

One such initiative is the renewable energy minor UW-Platteville will implement in fall 2008. The UW-Platteville Foundation awarded $5,000 to the Renewable Energy Minor Council with an Opportunity Fund Grant to further develop the minor at UW-Platteville.

Renewable energy encompasses energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydrogen, bio-fuels and bio-products. A minor in renewable energy is applicable to any major field of study at UWP including agriculture, engineering, business and political science.

The grant will assist UW-Platteville faculty visiting industry contacts and building the renewable energy minor program. This includes establishing relationships with industry members to gain economic support for the program. The grant will also support the development of the core classes associated with the new minor. Some of the funding will assist in generating promotional materials about the new minor.

In 2006, UW-Platteville administration, faculty and a number of Wisconsin companies met to discuss Wisconsin's future energy needs. At this meeting, it was determined that UWP has a strong interest in alternative energy and bio-products.

The Renewable Energy Council is comprised of chair, Mesut Muslu, electrical engineering; Chris Baxter, School of Agriculture; Charles Knox, industrial studies; John Iselin, mechanical engineering; Mike Dalecki, social science; Rami Reddy, agriculture; and Tim Zauche, chemistry. The council's purpose is to address the university's interest in alternative energy and bio-products, or renewable energy.

The council recommended that a university-wide renewable energy minor be established at UWP. The minor is open to students in all majors with an interest in renewable energy wishing to seek credit. The minor is a standard 24 credit minor, with nine core credits and 15 elective credits.

The goal of the renewable energy minor is to increase the knowledge of students with regard to renewable energy sources as well as traditional energy sources and their impact on the environment and society. The minor strives to help students develop an in-depth and interdisciplinary understanding of issues related to energy and products made from traditional and renewable resources as well as their associated markets.

For more information on the renewable energy minor, visit the renewable energy website at www.uwplatt.edu/ee/renewableenergy, or contact Muslu at (608) 342-1157 or muslu@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Mesut Muslu, chair, Renewable Energy Minor Council, (608) 342-1157, muslu@uwplatt.edu Written by: Lisa D. McLean, Office of Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, mcleanl@uwplatt.edu