Patrick English
A collaborative National Science Foundation (NSF) program has allotted $235,260 for Ferris State University Automotive Service Professor Patrick English to serve as a regional advisor to Michigan and South Carolina colleges and universities establishing Electric Vehicle training programs.
With 20-plus years of study and teaching experience in hybrid power plants and electric vehicle development, English is among five instructors certified in national EVPro+ training and testing standards.
“The plan is to have each of the institutions I support offering education to facilitate certification by the Society of Automotive Engineers. That means the program has global acceptance,” English said. “Our consortium will work closely with SAE on staying abreast of new technologies as they apply to electric vehicles.”
The NSF grant allows English to support learning at Lake Superior State University, Delta College in University Center, Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Lansing Community College in Michigan, and Florence-Darlington Technical College in South Carolina. English said each institution where he plans to mentor faculty receives $95,000 awards from the NSF to outfit their facilities and complement this training.
“The National Science Foundation is providing $3 million in total to back the Northwest Engineering and Vehicle Technology Exchange, known as the NEVTEX Next consortium,” English said. “The base of this collaboration is at Central Oregon Community College in Bend. My role is to mentor the establishment of electric vehicle technician training in specific two-year colleges and programs.”
English said the NSF grant awards are responsive to the changing automotive marketplace.
“We are seeing EV components growing in importance as the power plants for all kinds of vehicles,” English said. “By 2030, one in three vehicles will operate on green energy. The need for skilled professionals capable of diagnosing and servicing those systems will be crucial.”
English expects his role with NEVTEX Next to positively impact Ferris' Automotive Service Technology and Automotive Engineering Technology degree programs.
“It is exciting to have this collaborative role to impact the vibrant green energy economy,” English said. “We are communicating with the NSF for additional resources that would fortify Ferris’ Automotive program’s leadership position and further build on the excellence of our training.”
Ferris Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Bobby Fleischman said the participation of English and the university in this collaboration is an opportunity to build on institutional goals and greater achievements in higher education.
“This NSF grant to Dr. English and the College of Engineering Technology is another milestone in our growing effort to lead the nation in workforce development and our commitment to training the next wave of electric drive technicians and the emerging EV industry,” Fleischman said.
For more information about the College of Engineering Technology.