Colleges and Universities
For most students back to school time may be a sad time after weeks of basking in the freedom of summer vacation. However, for students who will be seniors in the upcoming school year, back to school time is much more exciting than it is sad. After all, a person’s senior year means one final school year before being able to enjoy the blissful freedom from parents while at college! Yet, before getting to a college or a university a person has to apply to one and get accepted. While this short guide is unable to help with getting accepted, it can provide useful information about which colleges and universities will allow a H2GP participant to continue pursuing education in renewable energy areas like fuel cells and batteries.
California is home to some of the best universities in the world and CSU LA, eh hem I mean Cal State LA, has been on the forefront of the effort to bring about mass hydrogen adoption for well over a decade. Not only can students learn about hydrogen from an eminent professor like David Blekhman, but Cal State LA also has a Hydrogen Research Facility where students can get hands-on experience with working at a real-life hydrogen fueling station that generates its own hydrogen. By being able to build on their H2GP knowledge and continue to use that knowledge in real-life exercises Cal State LA offers one of the most compelling hydrogen programs globally. For more information please visit: https://www.calstatela.edu/ecst/h2station
Another university in California with an excellent hydrogen track record is UC Irvine (UCI). UCI has great professors like Jack Brouwer, but it is also home to the National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC). The NFCRC is another institution that is dedicated to hydrogen education and it has been helping to bring about a global hydrogen economy for over fifteen years. For more information please visit: https://www.nfcrc.uci.edu/
For those who want to continue studies in hydrogen and fuel cells but enjoy a quieter life style than what Southern California allows for, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières' Laboratories at Hydrogen Research Institute (IRH) may be the perfect fit. At the university professor Samaneh Shahgaldi is doing some exciting research into using paper in order to improve the efficiency of fuel cells, and professor Bruno Pollet is doing research on catalysts and electrodes to enhance their functionality. Plus, Quebec is a major producer of maple syrup so while studying at the university a person should be able to find pancakes with real maple syrup poured over them easily enough. For more information please visit https://oraprdnt.uqtr.uquebec.ca/pls/public/gscw031?owa_no_site=6622
If a person wants to be near Europe the University of Exeter is another leading research institution. The university is home to Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Marine Hydrogen-Electric Propulsion Centre of Excellence (that is a mouthful), and it is focused on the study and testing of hydrogen propulsion systems. Another benefit to attending this institution is its relationship with Riversimple, which is a FCEV maker and is a great fit for H2GP participants. For more information please visit https://www.cornwallmarinehydrogencentre.com/
While we have only covered four universities there are many more to choose from including the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with its Hydrogen Fuel Cell Laboratory. But just because a college or university was not covered in this blog post does not mean it is not really good or a great place to study. We will highlight some other educational institutions for your consideration this coming spring. In the meantime, keep learning, keeping racing, and try and make it to the 2023 H2GP World Cup. Few things look better on an application to a university than being able to say your team made it to the international level in the world’s only educational hydrogen fuel cell program for high school students!