DETROIT—Wayne State University and Macomb Community College recently announced the executive advisory committee for a new electric drive vehicle engineering program known as E3 - Electrifying the Economy, Educating the Workforce.

The two institutions are developing E3 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) with a $5 million ARRA grant funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that aims to provide educational programs in support of President Barack Obama's goal of having one million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on the road by 2015.

"The objective of this program is to prepare our current and future workforce with the education and skills necessary for the advancement and maintenance of electric drive vehicles," said Hilary Ratner, vice president for research at Wayne State University and chair of the advisory committee. "It is our intent to ensure we have the most innovative curriculum that can meet the needs of the automotive industry as energy policy evolves over the next few years. This is a key area of growth in the automotive area, and this partnership with Macomb Community College and NextEnergy will provide the next generation of automotive workers with critical skills necessary for engineers and technicians to advance and support electric drive vehicles."

The program will develop and implement a comprehensive set of advanced educational programs in electric drive vehicles including a master's degree in electric drive vehicle engineering; a bachelor's degree in electric transportation technology; an associate degree in automotive technology and electronic engineering technology; and an undergraduate concentration and graduate certificate program in electric drive vehicle engineering.

In addition, the program will host national workshops; education for the general public, K-12 teachers and first responders; and will create a Web site to serve as a main portal of the most comprehensive and up-to-date information in electric drive vehicle technology and educational programs in the nation.

The newly formed electric drive vehicle engineering advisory board includes:
• Ray Boeman, director, Advanced Transportation Systems Program and NTRC User Facility, Oakridge National Laboratory
• Keith Cooley, CEO, NextEnergy
• Hansen Clarke, state senator (D-1)
• Michael Fetcenko, vice president, Ovonic Materials
• Ricardo Espinosa, vice president of engineering, Azure Dynamics, Inc.
• Nancy Gioia, vice president of global electrification, Ford Motor Company
• David Gorsich, chief scientist, U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center
• James Jacobs, president, Macomb Community College
• Steven Kurmas, president and COO, DTE Energy
• Gregory Main, president and CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corp
• Prabhakar Patil, president and CEO, Compact Power, Inc.
• Bob Purcell, Purcell & Associates, LLC
• Hilary Ratner (Chair),vice president for research, Wayne State University

For more information about E3, visit www.eng.wayne.edu/eve.

Media Contact: Cheryl Yurkovich, (313) 577-2150 or cyurkovich@wayne.edu
or Julie O'Connor, (313) 577-8845 or julie.oconnor@wayne.edu

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Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit www.research.wayne.edu.

Macomb Community College is one of the nation's leading community colleges, providing learning experiences to more than 59,000 students annually. Macomb nationally ranks in the top two percent in the number of associate degrees awarded and as the largest grantor of associate degrees in Michigan. The college's comprehensive educational programming includes pre-collegiate experiences, university transfer and career preparation programs, bachelor degree completion and graduate degree programs, workforce training, professional education and certification, and continuing education and enrichment opportunities. For more information about Macomb Community College, visit www.macomb.edu.