CCEFP Leaders Honored for Research & Teaching . . . Preparing More Fluid Power Engineers for our Industry

Two Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) leaders were recently honored by the University of Minnesota. Professor Kim Stelson, CCEFP Director, was elected College of Science and Engineering Distinguished Professor. The College of Science and Engineering Distinguished Professorship honors exceptional faculty for their efforts in and contributions to teaching and scholarly research, and for their genuine commitment to the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) and its activities. Professor Zongxuan Sun, CCEFP Deputy Co-Director, was awarded the Charles E. Bowers Faculty Teaching Award. This award recognizes an outstanding CSE professor who has demonstrated exceptional interest and commitment to teaching.

Both of these highly regarded awards strengthen the position that CCEFP is conducting high-quality research and teaching with distinguished faculty members, leading the way in transforming fluid power to dramatically reduce energy consumption and create whole new fields of use for fluid power technology. The CCEFP is training tomorrow’s leaders while enhancing fluid power education and increasing public awareness.

And, by partnering with companies in the fluid power industry, the CCEFP is helping to bring real-world solutions to the challenges in advancing fluid power. Through this partnership, fluid power industry companies offer student internships and participate in Capstone Design Projects. Industry has backed the Engineering Research Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power from its inception. In fact, the outpouring of support provided by fluid power manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and customers to this Center is unprecedented in ERC grant history.

To accomplish its goals, the CCEFP organizes:

• Pre-competitive Fluid Power Research Projects—directed by industry to the topics most needed, these projects help build fluid power infrastructure at CCEFP schools and engage promising students in the study of fluid power.
• Fluid Power Scholars Program—an internship program where industry-selected candidates receive fluid power “boot camp” training before working at the company location for the summer. (Read about the students and the program here.)
• Fluid Power Courses—fluid power lab exercises, textbook chapters and online training developed by CCEFP professors and offered across the nationwide network of undergraduate mechanical engineering programs.

Industry support and engagement is critical to the success of these programs. Through this support and engagement, companies can:

• Interact with and recruit from a large number of students with strong fluid power and systems engineering experience.
• Access researchers and research facilities to help solve technical challenges.
• Provide oversight and guidance to ensure the CCEFP stays focused on the needs of the fluid power industry.
• Stay abreast of new developments in fluid power technology.
• Gain competitive insights by networking with customers, suppliers and competitors.

The best way for industry to support the educational and pre-competitive research activities of the CCEFP is through tax-deductible donations to the Pascal Society, the annual giving society within the NFPA Education and Technology Foundation.

For more information on how industry provides oversight and guidance to the CCEFP, click here.

For additional information contact:

• Eric Lanke, CEO, National Fluid Power Association, (414) 778-3351
• Mike Gust, CCEFP Industrial Liaison Officer, (612) 624-4956
• Brad Bohlmann, CCEFP Sustainability Director,  at (612) 626-1795