MSU-Northern Receives Nearly $1 Million WIRED Grant for Bio-Energy Innovation & Testing Center

3/13/2009 -- (HELENA) – Montana State University Northern has received a Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant of $990,312.50 to support and expand training activities at the Bio-Energy Innovation and Testing Center in Havre. The funds were awarded by the Montana Department of Commerce through Montana’s WIRED program and will be administered by the Montana Office of Higher Education.

“These funds will help train Montana students to meet the growing demand for diesel engine techs experienced in bio-fuels,” said Governor Brian Schweitzer. “The bio-based fuel, oil and additive industry is growing by leaps and bounds and MSU-Northern is helping Montana lead the nation.”

MSU-Northern will use a portion of the WIRED funds to purchase an alternating current (AC) engine dynamometer, which will allow students in the Diesel Engine Performance Laboratory to study the effects of bio-fuels, bio-based fuel additives, bio-oils and other engine enhancement products on diesel engines under normal operating circumstances. This new equipment and remaining WIRED funds will allow the college to expand its curriculum, adding to the bio-fuels engine emissions training already in place. In 2008, Montana’s WIRED program provided MSU-Northern $295,000 in funds to help establish the emissions training curriculum.

“Teaching diesel techs the science and engineering concepts behind the new emissions systems and fuels will better prepare them to service and repair diesel engines with complex emissions systems,” said Greg Kegel, Dean of MSU-Northern College of Technical Sciences. “Our developing curriculum will ensure that students at MSU-Northern are best equipped to compete for jobs in this emerging technology.”

To support the growing bio-based fuels, oils and additive industry in Montana, MSU-Northern plans to develop short-term training seminars for professionals. These seminars could be taken as individual classes or combined to earn a Biodiesel professional’s certification that will be developed and awarded by MSU-Northern. The seminars will include the following:

Biodiesel production technology and optimization techniques
Oil Pressing and Bio-diesel Feedstock Analysis
Process engineering
Biodiesel quality assurance
Emissions
New bio-based fuels overview

WIRED grant funds are available for customized worker training for businesses working with universities, colleges, and other training providers on specialized bio-product training and curriculum development. The program also provides grants for WIRED eligible job training programs or projects that will enhance and expand the bio-product industry in the 32 county WIRED region in eastern and central Montana and on six of Montana’s Indian reservations.

Montana’s WIRED program was created as a result of Governor Brain Schweitzer’s commitment to value added agricultural energy projects. In January 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor approved Governor Schweitzer’s application for the WIRED initiative. Montana’s application was one of only 13 approved nationwide.

Source: Montana Governor