The New York State Education Department and the State University of New York have approved the new four-year Renewable and Alternative Energy Applications program for the Fall 2006 semester, SUNY Canton Provost Jeremy D. Brown announced.

"The Alternative and Renewable Energy Applications program fits in with our role of providing bachelor's degree opportunities in high-need specialized areas," said Brown. "This SUNY Canton program is on the cutting edge of energy technology. Students will be studying concepts that will augment or replace conventional energy systems."

More than 20 current students have expressed interest in this program, according to Brown. He said he expected enrollment to climb with new and transfer students and through articulation agreements with other colleges.

Canino School of Engineering Technology Assistant Professor Michael J. Newtown said the program will focus on wind, solar, geothermal, fuel cell, biofuel and other emerging technologies. He said the energy needs of the world are changing as energy needs increase, placing further demands on the limited supply of fossil fuels. Renewable energy also offers the benefits of the reduction or elimination of environmental pollutants.

"Students who graduate from this program will ultimately work with architects and engineers to create viable renewable energy solutions for commercial and residential facilities," Newtown said. "They will be looking at all different forms of energy and combining them to come up with sustainable, environmentally-friendly solutions."

Future students in the Alternative and Renewable Energy Applications program will be taking classes such as Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, and Machine Design, in conjunction with newly designed alternative energy classes during their first two years. During the last two years, students will specialize in their chosen fields of solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuel energy courses. "During the final semester of their senior year, students will design alternative energy systems for small residential or commercial buildings and present their designs to the community," Newtown added.

The New York State Department of Labor has projected that there will be approximately 750 prospective job openings within this field by the year 2010. Emerging careers in this field will be further stimulated by Governor George Pataki's Executive Order 111, which requires that New York State facilities acquire 20 percent of their power through renewable resources by 2010. The State's Renewable Portfolio Standard also requires that at least 25 percent of the electricity sold to consumers in New York State be generated from renewable resources by 2013.

Other Assistant Professors who have worked on this program include Michael L. Kingsley and Matthew Bullwinkel. Kingsley and Bullwinkel will both be instructors for the program. They are currently overseeing the operation of SUNY Canton's biodiesel research lab. Newtown noted that his colleagues had recently produced a batch biodiesel to fuel one of the college's test vehicles.

Students will also be embarking upon research-driven projects on the college's anaerobic digester, which will convert farm-grade waste from the teRiele Brothers' Farm in Canton to create heat and power for the College and the teRieles' use. It will also reduce the farm's environmental impact on its surroundings.

SUNY Canton is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year and is in the midst of its highly successful SUNY Canton Centennial Campaign: Cultivating the Minds of Tomorrow. In addition to 25 associate degree programs, SUNY Canton currently offers 10 four-year degrees with plans to announce several other new programs during the next academic year. SUNY Canton also offers a Masters of Business Administration in conjunction with SUNYIT, Utica. The College has recently embarked upon articulation agreements with Lomonosov Moscow State University and Osaka College of Foreign languages and International Business in Japan, allowing international scholars the ability to obtain a SUNY Canton degree locally, or abroad.

January 10, 2006

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