Provided by Bucks County Community College:
Pictured are (from left) student Andrew Sooy, Brutus the Centurion, PECO Vice President Anthony Gay, College President Stephanie Shanblatt; Professor Christine Delahanty, and students Aneeqa Karu and Albert Bulik.
Credit: Bucks County Community College
Engineering students from Bucks County Community College, who placed among the top ten finalists in the National Science Foundation’s Community College Innovation Challenge, have earned a $10,000 grant from PECO to take the project even further.
Members of the college’s Society of Bucks Engineers traveled to the nation’s capital last June to present the Wind Catcher Max, a new style of wind turbine that takes up less space, doesn’t threaten wildlife, and recycles water. Although they didn’t place first, the students took part in the NSF’s four-day Innovation Challenge Boot Camp to learn how to refine and improve their original entry.
The PECO grant will allow students to conduct market analysis, investigate the development of a prototype, and pitch the idea to investors at the Start Me Up Challenge, an entrepreneurship contest that Bucks is conducting this spring, according to Tobias Bruhn, the college’s vice president of advancement.
“The Wind Catcher Max project has been an incredible learning experience for our students, and we’re grateful to PECO for the opportunity to continue its development.” said Bruhn. “Engineering students are responsible for the design, but they collaborated with Arts Department students to create a promotional video, and Business Studies Department students to investigate appropriate business models. It’s been an impressive display of teamwork.”
“At PECO, every day, we are working to advance smart energy by investing in innovative projects to transform the future of energy for our customers,” said Anthony Gay, PECO’s vice president of governmental and external affairs. “As these students represent our future, we are proud to support the Wind Catcher Max project, and continue our commitment to advancing smart energy by supporting innovative initiatives like this one here at Bucks County Community College.”
