The Offshore Wind Energy Collaborative members received funding from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Wind Institute to implement the University Initiatives and the Wind Fellowship programs.

In 2022, Rutgers received a $125,000 grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Wind Institute for the University Initiatives to Advance Offshore Wind Energy program. Peggy Brennan-Tonetta, Josh Kohut, and Wade Trappe serve as co-investigators on the University Initiatives program, which includes three projects:

Educational Initiatives for a Resilient Offshore Wind Energy Economy in New Jersey. Rutgers faculty and staff will develop and deliver modular curricula across various technical, business, environmental, engineering and policy topics related to offshore wind energy. The modules will be designed to be integrated into a wide range of current Rutgers courses and for presentation as standalone programs.
Offshore Wind Energy Symposium. The Symposium aims to bring together industry, government and academic leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities, as well as build community engagement in offshore wind energy. A summary report based on the information from the symposium will be used by the NJEDA to develop recommendations on the government’s role in the development of the offshore wind sector.

Community Events and Shared Learning. There will be a total of three in-person community-building events, one at each Rutgers campus: Rutgers-Camden, Rutgers-Newark, and Rutgers-New Brunswick. The primary goal of the events will be to explore opportunities in the offshore wind energy sector.

For questions regarding the University Initiatives program, please contact Peggy Brennan-Tonetta, Senior Executive Director of NJAES, at mbrennan@rutgers.edu

In 2022, Rutgers received a $282,000 grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) Wind Institute for the Wind Institute Fellowship Program. The program aims to support student research in topics that further the growth of offshore wind energy as well as build student and faculty advisor expertise in offshore wind energy research and innovation in the state. Chelsie Riche serves as the principal investigator on the Wind Fellowship program.

Rutgers is proud to have 13 undergraduate and graduate student Fellows participating in the 2022-2023 Wind Institute Fellowship Program.

For questions regarding the Fellowship Program, please contact Chelsie Riche, Assistant Director for Student Success and Experiential Education in the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, at ssee.aa@rutgers.edu