OCTC Cobra Project to be Unveiled

Owensboro Community amp; Technical Colleges Cobra Project will be unveiled at a ceremony on Monday, May 19 at 11:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Owensboro Convention Center. This has been a two-year project and has evolved to involve multiple disciplines at the college, outside partners, and supporters. The car will be revealed at the event, and multiple partners will be on hand to answer questions about the project. The event is free and open to the public.

Preparing Vehicle Technicians for Advanced Transportation Fuels is an initiative designed to develop an advanced transportation technology training program at OCTC. The program is the first college program in the state and the nation to offer technician training in all of the advanced transportation/alternative fuel vehicle technologies. This comprehensive curriculum will include hybrid, plug-in electric, dedicated electric vehicle, biodiesel, propane, ethanol, compressed and liquefied natural gas, and fuel-cell vehicles.

We are honored to be a part of this partnership. This is a perfect opportunity for OCTC to partner with a variety of folks to enhance our local workforce and arm the students with the latest technologies and better prepare them for the fields of tomorrow said Dr. Jim Klauber, president of OCTC.

The project partners include Owensboro Community and Technical College, Cummins Crosspoint, Kentucky Corn Growers Association, Kentucky Propane Gas Association, Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, Atmos Energy, ConsuLab, ATech, Owensboro Grain Company, the KY Department of Energy Development and Independence, and the Kentucky Soybean Board and Association. Project partners serve as the project steering committee, participate in events, support project outreach, and provide their expertise to specific program areas.

Initiative objectives include summer academies, student technician training, incumbent worker training, secondary and post-secondary teacher STEM training, E-85 powered 1965 AC Cobra vehicle build, and a National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey event to increase public awareness of alternative fuels.

According to Mike Rodgers, associate dean of the advanced transportation division, this partnership enhances what we were already doing in the lab, and it allows our faculty to remain on the cutting edge. Participating in the partnership allows us to work together enhancing the connection between education and industry.

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OCTC is dedicated to preparing its students for the 21st century workforce in Kentucky in the nation by ensuring they are knowledgeable of the evolving technologies transforming the transportation industry.

The Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition is a non - profit organization, established in 1993 to serve as an educational and industry resource for alternative fuels and advanced transportation technologies.