Embry-Riddle Opens ‘Green Garage’ Doors: EcoCAR Project Advances University’s Environmental Commitment  Daytona Beach, Fla., Dec. 10, 2009 -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has opened the doors of a new “green garage,” where engineering students are using aerospace techniques to develop the car of tomorrow.
Embry-Riddle President John P. Johnson cut the ribbon Dec. 4 for the new engineering laboratory located on the university’s Daytona Beach campus, with assistance from Volusia County (Fla.) council members Joie Alexander and Patricia Northey. The garage is fully equipped for development of the vehicle that Embry-Riddle students are creating for the EcoCAR Challenge, a three-year competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, and other organizations. The students, who call themselves the EcoEagles, are designing and building an Extended Range Electric Vehicle that will be fuel efficient, environmentally friendly, and high performance. The garage includes a rotary vehicle lift, dedicated high-voltage room, and integrated hardware-in-the-loop laboratory donated by National Instruments. It also showcases an environmental focus at Embry-Riddle’s College of Engineering. Every component in the lab was chosen to reduce environmental impact, including the floor covering, which is made from recycled tires. Interior design students from Daytona State College assisted in designing the new facility. “With this facility, the College of Engineering affirms its commitment to going green,” said Maj Mirmirani, dean of engineering at the campus, “leading the way in developing technology and a trained workforce for an environmentally sustainable economy.” Other environmental initiatives led by Embry-Riddle’s College of Engineering include the development of a reduced-emissions airplane for NASA’s Green Flight Challenge, the investigation of alternative lead-free aviation fuels, and the creation of a new track on alternative energy in the Mechanical Engineering degree program. The “green garage” was made possible by the generous support of EcoCAR Challenge sponsors General Motors, the Department of Energy, and the Government of Canada, in addition to Embry-Riddle team sponsors International Speedway Corp., US Didactic, and SolarFit. Additional information about the EcoCAR competition and photos are available at www.EcoCARchallenge.org, www.green-garage.org, and http://archive.EcoCARphoto.com/c/EcoCARphoto. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 170 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu. |
