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STATEMENT OF WORK

Project Title:

Virginia-Maryland Hydrogen Technology Education Center (H2TEC)

Contractor:

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (VT)
460 Turner Street, Suite 306
Blacksburg, VA 24060
(540) 231-8217

Program Area:

Hydrogen

Partners:

University of Maryland (UMCP)
Breakthrough Technologies Institute
Hampton Roads Clean Cities Coalition

Project Description:

Provide learning opportunities in the area of hydrogen technology for undergraduate and graduate students, short courses targeted to energy professionals, a seminar series to encourage information exchange, a variety of activities for public outreach, and curriculum development opportunities for K-12 teachers.

Management Plan (Approach):

The unique nature of STAC requires that projects be supported by multiple State entities, and to the extent necessary any other entity. As indicated in the STAC Agreement, it is the Contractor’s responsibility to coordinate the execution of work under the Contract, incorporated by reference hereto. Contractor, in conjunction with the other State entities, and to the extent necessary any other entity, shall conduct the project in accordance with the Management Plan (approach) described below.

Virginia Tech will lead the H2TEC project and will be responsible for coordination of all work activities, reporting, and communications with NASEO on contract issues. VT activities will focus on H2 issues related to distribution, storage, PEMFC’s, and transportation applications. The UMCP effort will focus on hydrogen generation, SOFC’s, and application of H2 technology in buildings. The VT effort will include:

1. development of an undergraduate course in H2 technology and integration of this course with other undergraduate activities,
2. participation in the DC based seminar series,
3. presentation of an annual one-day short course in Richmond, VA,
4. development of a K-12 outreach program,
5. participation in public outreach activities,
6. development of demonstration projects and activities in the VT focus areas, and
7. coordination of the activities of the other center participants and supporters.

The UMCP effort will include:

1. establishment, publicity, and administration of the DC-based seminar series,
2. one-day short course for government and industry employees in the College Park/DC area,
3. the development of the graduate level course on advanced analysis of critical technology for H2 based energy infrastructure,
4. development of simulation tools for H2 production, storage and power generation for distributed power applications, and
5. development of demonstration projects and activities in the UMCP focus areas.

This latter effort will involve demonstration of a stationary power generation facility at the Building Combined Heating and Power location on campus. The two institutions will share their notes and experiences for the undergraduate course and will co-teach the graduate level course through distance learning technology. Supporting organizations for the project include:

• Breakthrough Technologies and the US Fuel Cell Council who will provide general public outreach activities
• Hampton Roads Clean Cities Coalition who will provide outreach in Virginia
• H2GEN will provide course content for H2 generation technology
• Institute for Connecting Science Research to the Classroom will coordinate the H2 advocate program for K-12 teachers
• Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy will provide an electrolyzer
• Maryland State Energy Office will provide financial support
• General Motors will provide fuel cell vehicles for ride and drive events at short courses and seminars
• Teledyne Energy will provide a fuel cell for use in UMCP’s building heat and power demonstration

The three-year project will provide academic courses targeted to undergraduate and graduate students, short courses targeted to energy professionals, a seminar series to encourage information exchange, a variety of activities for public outreach, and curriculum development opportunities for K-12 teachers. These educational efforts will be supported by a comprehensive set of demonstration projects and interactive activities that rely on both new and existing equipment and facilities at VT and UMCP.

The scope of work is reflected in the following set of nine specific tasks:

1. Develop interactive demonstrations and activities to support educational efforts.
   Demonstrations of hydrogen technologies will be designed and implemented. At Virginia Tech (VT), the demonstrations will include a hydrogen vehicle refueling station, a demonstration of hydrogen production by electrolysis, and an undergraduate proton exchange membrane fuel cell lab. At the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), the demonstrations will include a demonstration of a fuel cell system for combined heating and power and an undergraduate experiment for solid oxide fuel cell characterization. Both schools will purchase or design and implement table top demonstrations of hydrogen technology. In addition, plans will be developed for activities to support the educational efforts of H2TEC including a student project to construct a hydrogen vehicle, H2TEC open house events, and public displays.
    
2. Develop and teach an advanced undergraduate course in hydrogen technology.
   An advanced undergraduate course will be developed. The course will provide students with a broad understanding of the technical, economic, and societal issues related to a hydrogen economy. Class materials will be developed to include a combination of lectures and interactive demonstration projects. The undergraduate course will be integrated with other hydrogen energy educational opportunities. For example, students at H2TEC’s Virginia Tech campus will have the opportunity to enroll in a senior design project class in which they will design and construct a H2-fueled vehicle. Students at the UMCP campus will have the opportunity to participate in individual projects for simulation tool development in conjunction with the center’s effort to provide object-oriented software for integrated analysis of H2-based energy infrastructure.
    
3. Develop and teach a graduate course in hydrogen generation, storage, and distribution.
   A new graduate course in hydrogen technology will be developed. The course will focus on physical and chemical phenomena of hydrogen production, storage, and conversion. This course will be integrated with the existing graduate curriculum, H2TEC activities, and existing research efforts. The graduate course will be developed for delivery through distance learning to institutions interested in providing educational opportunities for students or employees at sites remote from the VT and UMCP campuses. In addition, to course development, this task includes the provision of fellowships to support graduate education in the hydrogen energy field.
    
4. Develop and teach a one-day short course on hydrogen technology (9 events).
   A one-day short course will be developed and presented throughout the DC/Maryland/Virginia region. In this course participants will have the opportunity to learn about hydrogen-based technology and hydrogen system analysis. These courses will be advertised and offered to targeted audiences three times per year at locations in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area. Targeted one-day courses will be offered for the Hampton Roads region by VT and for the Washington, DC metro area and the Baltimore/Annapolis region by UMCP. The short courses will include an overview of the status and key technology issues for various critical hydrogen technologies including production, transport and storage, and power generation with fuel cells and clean combustion.
    
5. Host a bimonthly Hydrogen Technology Seminar series in Alexandria, VA (16 events).
   UMCP in collaboration with VT will lead a bi-monthly seminar series at VT’s Alexandria Research Institute (ARI) in Alexandria, VA. This series will be broadly publicized throughout government agencies as well as through the U.S. Fuel Cell Council’s network and through both the Maryland and Virginia State Energy Offices and the University network in the DC area. The format for these seminars will involve a one-hour presentation by an invited speaker or an H2TEC collaborating faculty with a follow-on facilitated discussion. The seminar topics will combine technical understanding and research with discussion of policy implications.
    
6. Host learning center open house activities (6 events at each location).
   Both VT and UMCP will host open house events at their respective H2TEC locations. These events will be designed to engage and educate the general public and will be coordinated with other high attendance events that are held on campus. Visitors participating in these activities will be invited to tour Center facilities including the hydrogen vehicle garage and refueling station at VT, the combined heating power and cooling facility and the Center for Fuel Cell Research at UMCP, and where appropriate, the undergraduate hydrogen technology laboratories.
    
7. Develop a H2 energy advocate program for K-12 teachers.
   An energy advocate program will be developed that will encourage hydrogen technology education at the K-12 level in both Virginia and Maryland. Through the work of the Institute for Connecting Science Research to the Classroom (ICSRC) at Virginia Tech, teachers will be identified to serve as hydrogen education advocates. The advocates will work with H2TEC faculty and graduate students to develop a program in hydrogen education that is coordinated with the existing curriculum and standards of learning in each state. The hydrogen education advocates will then disseminate this program to their colleagues through regional educational meetings, state science teacher organizations, and other activities. Center faculty will be available to support enhancements to the hydrogen education program based on feedback from the hydrogen education advocates.
    
8. Provide briefings at meetings of government and industry associations.
   Public education will also be provided through briefings at meetings of government and industry associations. This work will be undertaken in collaboration with the Breakthrough Technology Institute (BTI) and the U.S. Fuel Cell Council (USFCC). BTI working with USFCC will take the curriculum and other information developed by H2TEC for academic courses and short courses and create interesting and informative materials and presentations designed principally for “lay” audiences. This information will be disseminated in hard copy and CD-ROM format. BTI will also build awareness for H2TEC by including links and information on BTI’s existing websites (including the Fuel Cells 2000 website) and newsletters, and by developing and distributing press releases.
    
9. Provide display and educational materials for selected public forums.
   Demonstration and educational materials will be developed to support both attended and unattended displays at selected public forums including science and technology fairs, professional society meetings, museums, etc.

Project Tasks, Status, and Deliverables

Last Updated: 10/24/06