Shoreline’s Clean Energy Technology program recognized by ASHRAE and National Science Foundation

Shoreline’s Clean Energy Technology (CET) program continues to gain recognition on both the local and national levels as a leader in clean energy and high-performance building sciences education.

Two Shoreline CET students, Alisha Turpin and Elizabeth Daly, were both recently awarded the Harry Clayton Sutch scholarship by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The students each received a scholarship in the amount of $2,000 from the organization, which is dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of practices related to the reduction of building energy use.

“It’s thrilling that our students are being recognized for their excellence and supported as future leaders of the industry in this way,” said CET Program Director, Louise Petruzzella. “Dozens of area students from multiple colleges and universities applied for these prestigious scholarships, and these two Shoreline students are the only two who were recognized with awards. That says something about both the talent of these women and the rigor and excellence of Shoreline’s program.”

Shoreline’s CET program itself was also recently recognized, this time by the National Science Foundation (NSF), for the successful completion of a MentorLinks grant. MentorLinks is a program designed to help colleges strengthen technician programs in STEM fields through mentoring, professional development opportunities, and technical assistance.

Several strategic goals met by the NSF grant included providing more hands-on training opportunities for students, surveying the industry on the skills students need most in the workplace, and conducting assessments on students’ preparedness upon entering the workforce.

The NSF grant also helped develop new curriculum around 3-D building sciences software as it relates to the clean energy industry and sustainable/green building design.

“Completing the NSF’s MentorLinks program has been enormously beneficial to both the faculty and students of Shoreline’s CET program,” said Petruzzella. “Clean Energy Tech is a rapidly growing and evolving field, and having the support of the NSF helps Shoreline ensure we are staying ahead of trends and educating our students in the most cutting-edge technologies and best practices they will encounter in the workplace.”

The NSF is not the only national organization recognizing Shoreline’s CET program. Solar Energy International (SEI), a nonprofit educational organization that provides industry-leading technical training and expertise in renewable energy, is holding it’s 2017 incumbent worker training session on Shoreline’s campus this June.

“SEI is the gold standard for renewable energy education and training,” said Petruzzella. “We’re so pleased to partner with them to host this three-day training event that will bring industry professionals from across the region to our campus and expose them to all our program has to offer.”

Ryan Bradt, associate faculty in the CET program at Shoreline who teaches for SEI during the summers, will lead the SEI training session on campus. The training will teach industry workers additional skills in operational maintenance of solar array systems.

Click here for more information about Shoreline’s CET program.