Donor teams up with Engineering School

A recent grant to the Swanson School of Engineering’ has given students reason to celebrate… A recent grant to the Swanson School of Engineering’ has given students reason to celebrate during this year’s Engineering Week. Eaton Corp., an industrial manufacturer based in Cleveland, announced it will collaborate with the School of Engineering to train students in the field of electric power engineering. Among other areas, Pitt will use the $500,000 in grant money to add courses taught in conjunction with Eaton. Eaton’s employees will help to develop courses and serve as adjunct professors. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt will also use the money for research. ‘ ‘ ‘ There are opportunities for faculty and students to study renewable energy and smart grids and to work in the Power Quality Lab, said Pitt professor’ Gregory Reed,’ the director of the Swanson School’s Power and Energy Initiative. ‘ ‘ ‘ Located about 20 miles north of Oakland, the lab is where students have used Eaton’s state-of-the-art facilities for their required capstone senior design projects. ‘ ‘ ‘ Part of the grant will be used toward building a Power Quality Lab in Benedum Hall. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The lab will be a real showcase for Eaton at Pitt,’ said Reed, who hopes it will provide the Eaton mindset to his students ‘mdash; their commitment to the engineering industry and visionary leadership. ‘ ‘ ‘ But Reed has a larger goal in mind for the research completed at the Power Quality Lab. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’ll actually be looking to applying the results of that work toward going after larger grant opportunities through the federal government,’ he said. Power engineering is a good opportunity for students, because the industry has an aging population, said Dave Bucklew, the vice president of sales at Eaton and a graduate of the Swanson School. ‘ ‘ ‘ Almost half of the power engineering workforce will be eligible for retirement in the next five to 10 years, said Reed.’ ‘ ‘ The relationship between Pitt and Eaton has grown stronger, as Eaton attracts more students to its co-op program each year. But it started the capstone projects that kicked off conversations for this collaboration at the Power Quality Lab three years ago. ‘ ‘ ‘ It took nearly a year to formally sign an agreement, but it was obvious almost from day one that this was a great fit for Eaton Corp., said Bucklew. ‘ ‘ ‘ Eaton has been working in collaboration with other universities, such as Carnegie Mellon and North Carolina State, said Bucklew, but nothing to the extent of the collaboration with Pitt. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘When you look at what we’re doing at Pitt with power, there is really no other school building up their competency in this area,’ said Reed. ‘ ‘ ‘ Reed also said that electric power engineering will be important to the Obama administration’s plans. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Pittsburgh as a region is posed to lead a national revolution that we need to embark on,’ said Reed. ‘ ‘ ‘ This revolution will be based on energy, he said, which will be the defining issue in coming decades. ‘ ‘ ‘ Reed finds that his students are attracted to the field of electric power engineering because it addresses problems posed by the global energy crisis. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s exciting for them,’ he said. ‘They’re going to go out and change the world.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Although Eaton is headquartered in Cleveland, 50 percent of the company is power engineering, which is located in Pittsburgh, said Bucklew. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘University of Pittsburgh is the school we have most actively recruited from,’ said Bucklew of Eaton. ‘ ‘ ‘ Three of 200 graduates employed by Eaton were selected to its leadership development program, which allows participants to focus on a specific area through rotating assignments.