Wind Energy Education Expands with Addition of New Program

Written by Tom Dolan

A new graduate certificate program in wind energy is now available through the Texas Tech University Center at Abilene.

Andy Swift, director of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center, said the new Graduate Certificate Program in Wind Energy will include 15 hours of graduate-level coursework delivered through state-of-the-art distance education technology.

Students may choose either the technical or the managerial track. The technical track is calculus- and physics-based and focuses on the technical aspects of the growing wind energy field. The managerial track is more interdisciplinary and focuses on the administrative and managerial aspects of the field.

The courses will be offered at the Lubbock campus through University College and will be aired at the Abilene center on interactive video. In addition, the classes will be available on demand online giving students the choice of what delivery method works best for them.

The Wind Science and Engineering (WISE) Research Center was established in 1970 and is focused on research, education and information outreach. The comprehensive and interdisciplinary research program aspires to exploit the useful qualities of wind and to mitigate its detrimental effects.

Swift currently is a professor of civil engineering and director of the center. He has worked in wind energy research for more than 25 years and has published more than 100 articles and book chapters in the area of wind turbine engineering and renewable energy. In 1995, he received the American Wind Energy Society Academic Award for continuing contributions to wind energy technology as a teacher, researcher and author.

Texas Tech University at Abilene is a teaching facility and research site that opened in 2002.

For more information, including how to apply for the program, go to the University College Wind Energy Web site or contact Elizabeth Joost by e-mail, at (800) 692-6877 or (806) 742-7202.