Sacramento State will host the Clean Energy Showcase, a venture exposition offering students a first-hand look at the future of environmental technology. The showcase will be held in the University Union on Friday and will feature exhibits from local employers on the forefront of clean energy.

Jose Emir Macari, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, said the event will be particularly beneficial for engineering and business students.

“These companies will be employing the engineers and computer scientists of tomorrow,” Macari said. “It’s almost like a career fair without the companies being here to recruit our students. Students will learn where they want to go as part of this new movement in clean technologies. They will meet the entrepreneurs and venture capitalists that are making dreams come true.”

Macari said engineering students are required to complete a one-year project beginning their senior year. He said they must develop the project through concept to design and engineering.

Students who attend the showcase will be able to see what technologies are out there and this will help them to structure the ideas for their project.

Will Landreth, senior mechanical engineering student at Sac State, said meeting with local businesses is a great opportunity for Sac State engineering students.

“Everyone wants to know what they can do to be successful,” Landreth said. “If a business can show what they are working on, and it is something a student finds to be interesting and cutting edge, it can help to give ideas for their senior project.”

Several automobile manufacturers will have vehicles on hand, including hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars from Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, and plug-in hybrids from Davis Electric Cars.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Business will also have displays set up at the event. The College of Engineering will display a solar collector, hydrogen fuel cell miniature cars, bio-fuel projects as well as wind technology.

Experts in environmental areas including professors, business owners and investors will meet and discuss the future. Topics will include renewable electricity, green building and enhancing sustainability in Sacramento.

Macari said one of the big commitments a university should make is to the region. Recently, President Alexander Gonzalez and Mayor Heather Fargo signed an agreement bringing a stronger partnership between Sac State and the city.

Macari hopes that by hosting the showcase, a stronger partnership will develop between Sac State and the local environmental businesses.

“Sac State students are the best kept secret in the region,” Macari said.

Sac State was chosen to host the showcase because of efforts put forward by Macari and the College of Business. The Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance formed a group known as CleanStart two years ago. The goal of CleanStart was to get all the businesses in the area that work towards clean energy together to produce a business plan with a focus on environmental sustainability. Sac State has been a partner since the inception.

California State Sen. Darrell Steinberg and U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui have come out in support of advancing the green movement at Sac State. They are working to bring investment funds from both the state and federal government to advance environmental programs at Sac State and throughout California.

Earlier this month, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi challenged California college campuses to advance sustainable practices.

“Often, (students) think of things that no one else has thought of, or dismissed because they thought it wouldn’t work. Students can make it work,” Garamendi said.

Landreth said every option that has been proposed to reduce the use of fossil fuels carries a consequence.

“The infrastructure for hydrogen fuel cells is not in place, compressed natural gas works, but using CNG for cars would put a serious dent in the supply, and current production of electricity relies heavily on the use of fossil fuel-burning power plants,” Landreth said. His senior project is a human-powered car.

Timothy Marbach, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at Sac State, said hydrogen as fuel presents special problems.

“Hydrogen has issues, it has challenges, it’s so diffusive, it makes metals brittle and leaks of hydrogen occur easily,” Marbach said. “It’s not really a bigger or smaller risk than gasoline; it’s just a different risk.”

The showcase will assist professors at Sac State by showing areas in which the curriculum can be modified to better the experience students receive.

“We want to be an incubator for new companies,” Macari said. “We want to know what technologies these companies will be working on in order for us to adjust our curriculum to fit to the companies.”

Many of the small start-up companies in the area do not have the funding to operate a research and development department.

“What we want to do is bring these start-up companies to campus so, at the same time our students are getting an education, they can be working on projects that will benefit the local area with projects and products that will likely be in production a year or two after they graduate,” Macari said.

“We want to show that our curriculum, our professors and our students are leading the way in the Sacramento region,” Macari said.

Derek Fleming can be reached at [email protected]