OSW TRAININGS, DEGREES, CERTIFICATIONS, APPRENTICESHIPS DETAILS

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CNC Machinist

This training program offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to provide participants with the essential skills and knowledge needed for a successful career in precision machining. This hands-on program covers a wide range of topics including blueprint reaching, machine tool operation, CNC machining, and quality control. Participants gain practical experience using state-of-the-art machining equipment and tools at our partner location.  The program integrates safety protocols and industry best practices.

Start Date/ Timeline: Spring 2025 

Eligibility: Participants should be 18+ years of age

Benefits: Completion of the program qualifies individuals for diverse roles in manufacturing, garnering experience using cutting-edge equipment and tools with the latest technologies and industry standards. Successful completion qualifies participants for various roles within manufacturing and other precision engineering sectors.

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Wind Turbine Training (WTT)

Participants will undergo rigorous training in areas such as turbine maintenance, electrical systems, safety protocols, and advanced troubleshooting techniques. The program integrates hands-on experience and industry-specific certifications, ensuring graduates are well-prepared for the demands of maintaining and servicing wind turbines.

Start Date/ Timeline: TBD

Eligibility: Participants should be 18+ years of age

Benefits: Program completers will acquire in-demand skills in the wind energy industry, will receive an industry-recognized certification, will receive employment opportunities where skilled technicians are increasingly in demand, and will contribute to sustainable energy initiatives addressing the global need for clean and renewable power sources.

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Renewable Energy Degree Programs and Research

The College of Staten Island will play a key role in educating and training students and existing employees to ensure that the regional labor force is ready and able to respond to industry needs. This will be a cross-departmental effort centering at the Department of Engineering & Environmental Science (EES) and also involving the Computer Science department and the Lucille and Jay Chaznoff School of Business. At the same time, EES will engage in advanced research in the area of smart-grid management and energy storage and distribution.

 1. Engineering and Environmental Science Degrees in Renewable Energy
These programs will focus on the following key areas in the renewable energy sector:
 

• Design and operation of electromechanical machines for energy conversion, transmission, and storage.

• High voltage transmission and power electronics for high-voltage systems

• Power flow management in modern electrical power distribution networks. This is an essential activity for the operation of the future generation of power systems with intermittent power sources, such as wind, solar, biofuel, energy storage facilities, and smart appliances connected using the internet. Such a power network will require control policies that are very different from the centralized policies of the legacy power network. Well-designed distributed control policies will enable significant efficiencies. Students in our programs will learn relevant operational aspects.

• Security aspects. There are significant security challenges related to the distributed control of such a network, which are being addressed in evolving IEEE standards. Students will gain an understanding of such communication protocols.

• Geological and environmental aspects. Characterization of the submarine substrate is necessary for the safe and environmentally sound placement of offshore wind turbines.

 2.  RESEARCH

A. WIND ENGINEERING DATA REPOSITORY LABORATORY

Our new computational laboratory for gathering and analyzing data on off-shore wind power generation and distribution will enable our students to engage in undergraduate research with faculty members and better prepare them for opportunities for outside internships and future jobs. Several companies that we have interacted with and which have leased ocean space off the coast of Staten Island have expressed interest in working with us on research. We will leverage those collaborations to get a constant stream of data on wind, climate models, actual wind turbine performance, and electricity generation capacities among others. We will save these data and our student researchers will build new models on how to better design these turbines to increase their performance and efficiency.

B. RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORIES

The Master’s program in Environmental Science and the CSI Center for Environmental Science has been involved in studies of wind energy for over three decades. In the graduate coursework on Energy Sources and the Environment, we have covered the analysis and design of wind turbines for four decades.

At the undergraduate level, we offer a BS in Earth and Environmental Science. This includes a beginning course in Meteorology and Climate, focusing on atmospheric processes, and an upper-level Physical Oceanography class. We also offer two relevant electives, Marine Geology and Structural Geology. The major lab and field project for the Marine Geology class has students interpret the offshore and onshore sediments of the New Jersey coast, directly relevant to the substrate investigations needed for the siting of the wind turbines.

Students will work with state-of-the-art equipment including

• the Wind Powered Generator which provides the basics of how wind can be harnessed to generate electricity;

• the Pitch Hub Training System which simulates maintenance and efficiency for wind turbine systems;

• the Geothermal Trainer which mimics the theory and practicality of geothermal energy; and

• the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology Trainer which is used to study the capabilities of hydrogen fuel cells and gives the ability to compare to other forms of alternative energy systems.

In addition to the above, our power systems laboratory is equipped with six LabVolts’ mobile training stations. These mobile training stations can be configured with removable modules to provide students with hands-on experience in operational aspects of transmission and distribution systems of electrical power as well as electrical machines. This hands-on experience involves the use of actual components and measuring equipment. Components available for training consist of a variety of transformers including auto, phase shift, and buck-boast transformers, three-phase power sources, configurable transmission lines, and a variety of load choices.

All of the above laboratories will enable student researchers to perform advanced research studies on smart grids and renewable energy management.

Start Date/ Timeline: Summer/Fall 2024

Eligibility: Students in the AS in Engineering Science, BS in Electrical Engineering (EE), BS Engineering Science, BS in Earth & Environmental Science, ME EE and MS Environmental Science are all eligible to participate from sophomore year and beyond.

Benefits:

• preparation for the workforce

• internship and job opportunities

• completion of degrees in Engineering and Environmental in the high-paying areas of renewable energy and off-shore wind industries

• one-on-one mentoring and job placement by working with our industry specialist and academic advisor via the Inclusive Economy CUNY Initiative