Fuel cell-powered bus to visit NIU campuses

The Northern Illinois University College of Engineering and Engineering Technology will showcase one of the most promising forms of alternative energy under development with a series of displays and events at NIU campuses from Friday, Sept. 22, through Wednesday, Sept. 27.

During that week, the college will host representatives from the Advanced Vehicle Development program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., who will display and demonstrate a fuel cell-powered bus. The event was previously set for last spring but had to be rescheduled because of technical difficulties.

The week will include several opportunities to tour the fuel cell-powered bus and to learn more about this form of alternative energy. Visitors will learn how fuel cells work and about their potential as a pollution-free source of power that can help reduce future dependence upon fossil fuels, which are believed to contribute to environmental problems such as global warming and acid rain.

A seminar on fuel cell technology and the promise of hydrogen as an alternative fuel will be offered from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 22, in the first-floor auditorium of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. This event is offered free of charge and is open to the public.

Following the seminar, and at various times and locations throughout the week, the bus will be available for tours and demonstrations. Opportunities to view the bus will include:

• Friday, Sept. 22, 11 a.m. to noon, on the east side of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Kishwaukee Drive, DeKalb.
• Saturday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Entrance 2 of the NIU Convocation Center, DeKalb
• Sunday, Sept. 24, 12:30 to 2 p.m., west side of the DeKalb County Courthouse, Maple Street, downtown Sycamore.
• Sunday, Sept. 24, 3 to 4:30 p.m., Wal-Mart Super Center, 2300 Sycamore Road, DeKalb.
• Monday, Sept. 25, 9 to 11 a.m., NIU-Naperville, 1120 E. Diehl Road, Naperville.

NIU also is making the bus available for tours to NIU students as well as local high school students during the week.

“This is an exciting opportunity to get a first-hand look at one of the most promising alternative energy technologies under development,” said Promod Vohra, dean of NIU’s College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. “The efforts of NIU researchers, who are working with some of the top people in this field at Argonne National Laboratory, will no doubt make fuel cells a clean and dependable source of energy in the not-so-distant future.”

The visit by the bus is intended to highlight ongoing work at NIU to create stronger, more-durable and less-expensive fuel cells. NIU researchers, who are working cooperatively with the world-class fuel cell research team at Argonne National Laboratories, have received nearly $1 million in federal funding to support their work.

9-18-06