Lone Star College awarded grant to help improve safety in the energy industry

Lone Star College System News

Published on: April 30, 2015 The National Science Foundation has awarded Lone Star College a $430,291 grant to develop instructional modules for workforce training programs in Process Technology.
The purpose of this project is to develop instructional elements called Process Technology for various energy degree programs, said Dr. Melissa Gonzalez, LSC vice chancellor, workforce and economic development. We are excited that the National Science Foundation chose Lone Star College to help construct this very important program.
LSC will hire industry experts to develop the curriculum which will be piloted at 10 colleges across the U.S.  Once complete, the modules will be housed on a website that all colleges can access. 
Once implemented, the program will increase students knowledge of equipment-based and process-based troubleshooting, which will lead to increased safety and improved efficiency in the energy industry. In addition to the petrochemical and refining industry, students with this training and the Associate of Applied Science degree (AAS) will also be qualified to work in a variety of other industries such as food and beverage processing, pharmaceutical and bio manufacturing, and brewing and distilling process businesses.
The grant will primarily fund curriculum development and testing. It will also establish an annual college team simulator competition that will allow students the opportunity to showcase the troubleshooting skills acquired during an energy degree program in an environment that mimics the urgency associated with troubleshooting abnormal operations.
The new LSC Process Technology program will be housed in a new 50,000 square foot Advanced Technology Center that will be constructed as part of the recent bond election which voters approved last fall. The program will be implemented in the fall 2016 pending approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and will be a partnership between LSC-Kingwood and LSC-University Park.
In addition to stackable progressive Level I and Level II certificates and the AAS degree, the Process Technology program will enhance ...

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