Initial step in launch of future energy institute led by ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities

By Maegan Murray, ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – Longtime Tri-Citian Bob Ferguson, who served as the first deputy assistant secretary of nuclear programs for the , made a $500,000 gift to support Washington State University Tri-Cities’ first endowed faculty position in energy and environment.

The position represents the initial step in the development of a future institute at ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities. The institute will be dedicated to understanding and shaping the region’s diverse energy resources, and will directly leverage ΊΪΑΟΙη’s research strengths in water resources, environment, agriculture, policy and economics.

β€œThe professorship and institute will focus on partnerships for research in the energy industry, fostering community discussions and relationships for policy development at the state and national levels, and developing curriculum to support future workforce needs across various energy sectors,” ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities Chancellor Sandra Haynes said. β€œWe are incredibly grateful to Bob for his generous gift and its vast potential impacts for the Tri-Cities region and Washington state as a whole.”

Ferguson said the Tri-Cities region is already a leader in the energy sector, contributing de-carbonized power through nuclear, solar, wind, hydropower, and biofuels. To build on this foundational strength, Ferguson wanted to provide a substantial gift to launch ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities’ first endowed faculty position, and encourages others to join in donating to the effort.

β€œThis institute would solidify the Tri-Cities as a hub, probably the first one, ever, that can link all of these energy sources, from basic research to full demonstration,” he said. β€œEnergy is the source of all economic development. We need a curriculum. We need a workforce for the future. ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities is uniquely positioned to integrate all these areas. ΊΪΑΟΙη could lead this effort for the state and the nation.”

Established foundation in energy

Ferguson’s storied career in nuclear energy began in 1957 at , where he trained and worked as a reactor physicist and reactor operations supervisor at the B Reactor – the world’s first large-scale nuclear reactor, located in the Tri-Cities. He worked his way up to the position of deputy assistant secretary of nuclear programs for the U.S. Department of Energy before making his way back to the Tri-Cities to serve as CEO for the Washington Public Power Supply System β€” now called .

Ferguson was actively involved in early discussions for the expansion of the Tri-Cities campus into a fully-fledged ΊΪΑΟΙη campus. The campus began in the 1940s as the General Electric School of Nuclear Engineering, where it offered graduate-level programs for those working out at the Hanford Nuclear Site. In 1989, it became a ΊΪΑΟΙη campus, first serving upper-level undergraduate and graduate programs and now offering full four-year bachelor’s and graduate programs in a range of fields.

β€œThis gift is a culmination of the vision we had when we established ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities here,” Ferguson said. β€œThis is a way to support research that ΊΪΑΟΙη is doing now, as well as investing in what it could be doing in the future.”

ΊΪΑΟΙη President Kirk Schulz said leveraging what each ΊΪΑΟΙη campus does best β€” by utilizing local assets, such as the unique location and surrounding community of each campus β€” is the most effective way to deliver on ΊΪΑΟΙη’s land-grant mission and provide optimal service to the state.

β€œFor Tri-Cities, the clear differentiator is the confluence of nuclear, solar, hydro, biofuels, and wind power,” he said. β€œBob’s gift will help transform ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities into an energy headquarters for our entire state and region.”

Because ΊΪΑΟΙη is a Carnegie Research 1 university and because of its existing relationship with the through its joint nuclear, biofuels, and power grid institutes, the Ferguson gift will be a major boost for energy-related research at ΊΪΑΟΙη, said Christopher Keane, ΊΪΑΟΙη vice president for research.

β€œBob’s gift will advance ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities research capabilities, the university’s capabilities in energy systems and ΊΪΑΟΙη’s collaboration with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,” he said.

Continuing momentum with future investment

Ferguson’s gift launches an effort to raise $2 million in additional funding to fully support the endowed faculty position. The campus plans to conduct a nationwide search for the position in fall 2022.

β€œThe lead commitment for this faculty position is an important milestone,” said Mike Connell, acting vice president and CEO of the . β€œThrough this generous investment, Bob will inspire other individuals and industry partners to get involved and fuel an energy research hub that will have both a regional and national impact.”

Mike Wolcott, ΊΪΑΟΙη associate vice president for research, said Ferguson’s reputation brings a level of prestige to ΊΪΑΟΙη’s mission and will be instrumental in attracting the best talent to the region for the position and the program.

β€œExpanding on this foundational vision will allow us to have a greater impact on the future of our energy systems and the economic development that will be associated with its build-out,” Wolcott said. β€œΊΪΑΟΙη has tremendous breadth and depth to offer in many facets of energy-related topics.”

Regional legislators are also excited about the potential for the professorship and a nationally-recognized energy institute.

β€œBob Ferguson’s leadership and generosity is remarkable and makes me proud to be a Tri-Citian,” said Washington state Rep. Matt Boehnke. β€œI can’t wait to see the research and ingenuity that comes out of the energy systems institute, as well as the leaders that are developed as a result of the new professorship.”

For more information in supporting the professorship and future institute, contact Jaime Heppler, ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities senior director of development, at 509-372-7207 or Jaime.heppler@wsu.edu.

 

Media contacts:

Jaime Heppler, ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities senior director of development, 509-372-7207, Jaime.heppler@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), Maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – Arthur Baranovskiy was in seventh grade when he broke his arm, an event that would serve as a catalyst for connecting him to his future career.

Instead of participating in physical education class with the rest of his peers, he participated in drafting classes, which led him to an interest in engineering. At , in addition to the hands-on STEM opportunities and training he received related to engineering, he pursued an internship with in Kennewick, which solidified that engineering was the perfect career path for him.

β€œThe internship was pivotal because it confirmed my passion for engineering, and specifically, electrical engineering,” he said. β€œWhat I didn’t know at the time was that it would lead to a future business helping other students. It would lead me to a future passion.”

At , Baranovskiy was able to combine what he was learning in his coursework in electrical engineering and other applicable courses with practical experience at the through three different internships. In pursuing these experiences, he realized there are a range of options and paths for students to take, but that they may not be obvious or well-known to students.

As a result, he decided to start his own company this year to help educate students about how they can best prepare for careers in engineering and related fields while still studying to be an engineer, himself – a company called .

While he still plans to pursue a full career in electrical engineering after graduating this week at the ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities commencement ceremony, his company will serve as a positive outlet for him to help the next generation of engineers.

β€œI want to help students to reach the same conclusion as early as I did and prepare them with the extra tools to be successful,” he said.

Preparing future engineers

Through AYB Drafting, Baranovskiy said he provides students with in-depth training and connections to a range of tools including AutoCAD and other technical software, content areas not taught in the classroom that are applicable to specific engineering paths, soft skills like interview and resume prep and others that would make them an ideal candidate for their desired engineering job or company. He also plans to work with current employees to provide them with training in a range of technical areas.

In addition, he works with companies to pair them with students for internships that meet ideal specifications.

He went through program to develop the company. ΊΪΑΟΙη’s I-Corps is an eight-week program that engages faculty, students, staff and community entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into successful business products.

With his business partner Keith Warner, the duo has obtained their business licenses and established necessary legal requirements to begin working with local companies as a training and staffing firm. He said they are in the process of meeting with companies each week to pitch the opportunity locally in the Tri-Cities and have spent the past few months recruiting students for the opportunity, which they have narrowed to a pool to begin training.

β€œThrough this program, we want it to be very exclusive and reward only the most passionate and motivated students,” he said. β€œWe take students who really care about engineering and give them the chance to prove it and really use their passion. This eases the transition and learning curve for when students head into their first engineering job. It’s also a perfect fit for the Tri-Cities where we have so many engineering needs.”

After graduating this spring and while pursuing his master’s in electrical engineering from ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities, Baranovskiy will drive head-first into his new business while continuing his work full-time in the development and research of advanced batteries with a team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

β€œMy plan is to continue at PNNL full-time and put all of my effort into my career and battery research, and to also develop the business on the side,” he said. β€œThe business model allows for easy scaling and suspension. We welcome conversations with local companies to really get the ball moving.”

Using his own foundation to help the futureΜύ

Baranovskiy said it was his experience at Delta High School, ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities, previous internship at Meier Architecture Engineering and current internship at PNNL that really gave him the fortitude to launch the company.

Through his academic experience at ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities, Baranovskiy had the opportunity to partake in a range of hands-on engineering projects while learning valuable engineering theory and practical skill.

For his senior design capstone project in electrical engineering at ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities this year, Baranovskiy and four other engineering students designed a solar panel system and associated power supports that could easily be installed in a remote community in Uganda known as the Kagoma Gate Village. The group designed the project to provide stable power during the day and for at least three hours of power at night for a classroom and office space in the village. The project figured perfectly into his work at PNNL.

At PNNL, he is completing an internship developing batteries for future vehicles and grid applications, and formerly completed two internships with facilities and a team researching countering weapons of mass destruction where he did a significant amount of drafting.

β€œThrough these opportunities, I have developed an in-depth knowledge of the different types of programs specifically to the field of engineering in which I’m working,” he said. β€œI have also learned how to best conduct myself in a range of situations, as well as present projects effectively to my superiors. It has been essential experience that I believe has given me a leg up for my future as an engineer.”

Baranovskiy said he looks forward to using his own experiences to grow the potential for other future engineers.

β€œI want to use what I’ve learned in my own career path, in addition to what I’ve spent months researching and gathering as part of my new company, to prepare and connect other passionate students to want the same things,” he said. β€œRelevant job experience is vitally important to your future success as an engineer. I would like to help connect more students to these experiences.”

For more information on AYB Drafting, visit .

 

Interested in a career in engineering? Visit tricities.wsu.edu/engineering. The ΊΪΑΟΙη Tri-Cities admissions application is open now at .