An infusion of federal dollars soon may help
Delta College upgrade existing lab equipment and establish a laboratory that would teach students about lithium battery technology.
Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin recently announced the $250,000 grant that would help Delta College purchase digital and electronic equipment for its chemical process technology lab and help establish a lithium battery laboratory. The project is one of nine in Michigan and part of $2 million earmarked for Michigan in the fiscal year 2011 appropriation bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and other agencies.
The college should receive word late this year or early next about whether the grant was approved, says Leanne Govitz, director of marketing and public relations.
Delta's chemical process technology lab helps teach students how to use equipment similar to what is used by
The Dow Chemical Company,
Dow Corning, and
Hemlock Semiconductor, she says. The lithium battery lab would help train students to use equipment used by area companies like Midland-based Dow Kokam, an advanced battery company that soon will produce lithium ion batteries to power electric and hybrid vehicles.
The grant also would allow Delta College to expand its alternative energy programs, Govitz says. The college currently has developed an alternative energy wind turbine technology program, a solar manufacturing program, and a "green" residential construction program.
Providing this kind of training to students helps provide a skilled workforce to area companies, and it helps students find work after they graduate, Govitz says.
"We're very pleased that we're able to connect the dots between people who want to work and currently available and future jobs," she says. "One of our key initiatives is sustainability, and this fits very well into that."
Writer: Jenny Cromie
Source: Delta College, Leanne Govitz
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