NORTHFIELD, Vermont — Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) announced that it has secured two contracts received under the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Broad Agency Announcement process totaling $1.12 million.
Regarding the Arctic Microgrid program, worth $625,000, work in this initial effort will identify the necessary requirements to characterize, design, simulate and develop plans to prototype and test the cold regions microgrids. These systems will be built upon an open architecture to allow modular construction and operation in response to location and operational issues. Consideration for remote monitoring and operations and cybersecurity constraints will be integrated into the program with oversight from the ERDC Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory (CRREL).
“The importance of having a reliable energy grid in cold weather is something that every Vermonter understands,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. “With this project with the Army, Norwich is again at the front of designing and developing microgrids that can be relied on in cold weather conditions in the face of the forces of nature and malicious human attackers, and of teaching the next generation of students how to conceptualize and demonstrate competence in approaching these challenges.”
“The importance of having a reliable energy grid in cold weather is something that every Vermonter understands.” Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
NUARI also said it has moved into Phase 2, worth $499,000, of the Energy Resilience Education Track, the Design and Development phase, after successfully completing Phase 1 of the program. NUARI and the Norwich University Center for Global Resilience and Security (CGRS) are developing Energy Resilience education programs along multiple lines of effort under the program leadership of the ERDC Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL).
NUARI’s Phase 1 proposal was to develop the plan for the CGRS Energy Track — a program focused on building the educational foundation for energy resilience at military installations and more broadly in the municipal, state, national and global ecosystems within which they exist.
“NUARI is ready to leverage our innovative and flexible team of experts in support the ERDC’s research of energy resilience and microgrid systems for future use in Arctic and other environments by the Army and the Department of Defense,” NUARI President Phil Susmann said. “This work aligns with our goal of serving the national public interest through the interdisciplinary study of critical national security issues.”
Education roadmap
Building upon this research and engaging senior officials and subject matter experts, CGRS developed a roadmap for energy resilience education, which will be implemented in the Design and Development phases of the program to create curricula, establish educational learning partnerships and develop programs for Phase 3 – Implementation.
“This work embodies the Norwich commitment to develop future leaders through transformational education,” CGRS Director Dr. Tara Kulkarni, P.E. said. “The curricular reforms that we are developing in Phase 2 integrate research and experience — the hallmarks of a Norwich education.
"They have three key goals: first to create generational change by ensuring that our undergraduates are at the forefront of the energy resilience innovations; second to support midcareer officers by identifying and addressing gaps in their energy education; and, finally, to bring together senior leaders in roundtables to share our findings with them for future strategic changes, and also lean in on their expertise and experience for a shared vision of an energy resilient DoD.”
The NUARI team will use Norwich University’s multilevel capabilities and its centers of excellence to guide, enhance and sustain the development of new initiatives that will lay the educational foundation for operational and installation energy resilience for the Defense Department.
“This Energy Resilience/Arctic Microgrid program is aligned with Norwich University’s vision to actively contribute to our local and global learning community through applied research processes to serve our nation and the Department of Defense, NUARI Program Manager Jeffrey S. Cairns said. “This multiphased program will analyze, design, develop, and implement key engineering concepts that are experiential and relevant to the challenges facing our nation’s servicemembers.”
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About NUARI
Norwich University Applied Research Institutes (NUARI) was federally chartered under legislation sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in 2002 and is funded in part through the U.S. Homeland Security and the U.S. Defense Department. NUARI has a national center to address cyberincident management challenges through research, training programs and technology development and has been a global leader for more than a decade in developing cyberwar gaming, distributed learning technology, distributed simulation technology, critical infrastructure exercises, and cybersecurity curriculum.
NUARI point of contact: Jakon Hays, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
About Norwich University
Norwich University is a diversified academic institution that educates traditional-age students and adults in a Corps of Cadets and as civilians. Norwich offers a broad selection of traditional and distance-learning programs culminating in baccalaureate and graduate degrees. Norwich University was founded in 1819 by U.S. Army Capt. Captain Alden Partridge and is the oldest private military college in the United States. Norwich is one of our nation's six senior military colleges and the birthplace of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). www.norwich.edu
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