From the Executive Director's Desk

FLATE is pleased to welcome Jorge Monreal to our team as the project manager for our FESC (Florida Energy Systems Consortium) project. Jorge brings extensive project management experience. His first immersion into project management stemmed from serving as an officer in the US Navy. Thereafter, in industry, he held the roles of both team member and team leader in the introduction of several new products at Fortune 500 companies such as John Deere and General Electric.

His involvement in renewable energy started with an idea on hydrogen storage for fuel cell vehicles pitched to researchers at UF and FSU. He has since obtained provisional patents for renewable energy products regarding hydrogen production/storage, thermoelectrics and cogeneration systems. Jorge holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from FSU, an MBA from Georgetown University and a Masters in Engineering from MIT.

The FLATE Focus has featured articles in support of various energy technologies and skill sets. FLATE’s partnership with FESC is part of the statewide initiative to support industries in the existing and emerging energy sectors in the state by defining the knowledge and skills required of their technician workforce. During 2009, we worked with many Florida community colleges to define curriculum standards for alternative energy that support industry needs, made several presentations both within and outside of Florida, and look forward to working with Brevard Community College for a fall implementation of the Alternative Energy Systems Certificate. (More information at http://www.floridaenergy.ufl.edu/). With the industry support of the FESC Advisory Committee and their community outreach programs for energy efficiency, our partnerships with the Florida Department of Education, and the Banner Centers for Energy, Alternative Energy, Manufacturing and Construction we hope to build a comprehensive and cohesive educational and industry pathway for Florida’s new energy workforce under Jorge’s leadership.

Enjoy our shorter spring break issue with information on our upcoming summer camp program, the implementation of the Alternative Energy Specialist Certificate at BCC, and our Baldrige-grounded evaluation plan by Phil Centonze. The 2010 FLATE award nominations are open and there are opportunities for faculty to participate in the Hi-TEC conference as FLATE Fellows.