(English) U.S. Secretary of Energy Makes Special Visit to IUPUI

---

United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu made a special visit to IUPUI’s campus Monday to meet with university leaders and conduct a Town Hall forum with students to discuss the future of clean energy.
Secretary Chu’s visit came following an announcement in September that the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI
would receive a $1.3 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to train undergraduate-
and graduate-level students in manufacturing efficiency as part of the DOE’s Industrial Assessment Center program. The Purdue School of Engineering and Technology is one of only 24 schools across the nation – and the only institution in Indiana – selected to participate in the program.
“As President Obama made clear, an American economy built to last will depend on American manufacturing, American energy and skills for American workers,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “This is why the Energy Department is investing in innovative initiatives like the Industrial Assessment Center
at IUPUI that is helping to train the clean energy workforce of tomorrow, while saving money for American companies and manufacturers.”
Secretary Chu spent the first part of his visit debriefing with university officials and touring the IUPUI Industrial Assessment Center
and various energy labs. The Energy Department
announced in February that to date, the assessment centers across the country have helped save over 530 trillion BTUs of energy – enough to meet the energy needs of 5.5 million American homes – and helped participating manufacturers The Energy Secretary then held a Town Hall forum with students, faculty and business
leaders to discuss the future of clean energy.
“It was a great honor to host Secretary Chu on our campus,” said David Russomanno,
Dean of the Purdue School of Engineering
and Technology at IUPUI. “We are very pleased to be part of the DOE’s Industrial Assessment Center program, and thank the DOE for their help in creating an opportunity for our students and faculty to partner with businesses to make significant energy efficiency
and cost saving gains.”
The DOE assessment program is a natural
fit for the School of Engineering and Technology, which has long advocated programs
that train students to improve the efficiencies
of manufacturing and energy-related processes. The School currently offers a B.S. in Energy Engineering – the only program of its kind in the nation – and works with its Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy
to conduct energy-related research and disseminate its findings.