TALLAHASSEE, Fla., October 20, 2010 – Florida
A&M University (FAMU) has been selected as one of the 2010 winners
of the Ford College Community Challenge (Ford C3) and the recipient of a
$50,000 grant to develop a student-led community project focused on
sustainability in the farm community. Ford C3 is a national initiative
of Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company,
which challenges students from within Ford’s national network of higher
education partners to develop innovative programs to create sustainable
change in their communities.
Students at Florida A&M University will implement an on-farm
demonstration and education model for renewable biofuel production that
provides an essential alternative energy road map for the future. This
innovative, student-led demonstration project will test the use of
biofuel made from oil seed crops and waste vegetable oil for use as an
alternative energy source for farm machinery in the university’s
StateWide ® Small Farm Collaborative. The project will involve students
from the College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture
(CESTA), the School of Architecture, as well as community stakeholders
including schools interested in green and alternative energy, local
businesses and governmental entities.
“We are honored to receive the Ford Motor Company Fund C3 Grant to
implement an organic farm alternative energy demonstration and education
model for small farms and innovative communities,” said Jennifer
Taylor, FAMU’s coordinator for the Small Farms Program. “This project
will provide a unique opportunity to partner with community
collaborators, provide education and training experiences to FAMU
students, while equipping small farms and the community with exciting
options for a thriving sustainable future.”
The Ford College Community Challenge (Ford C3) is a national
challenge grant competition that recognizes colleges and universities
that utilize a school's resources to address an urgent community need
related to the grant's theme: Building Sustainable Communities. This
year's proposals were expected to incorporate the use of alternative
energy in a unique way. Unlike many traditional college grant programs,
Ford C3 requires colleges to create proposals that have significant
student input, involvement and leadership from beginning to end.
“Winning proposals have a distinctive student perspective on what it
means to have a sustainable community,” said Mike Schmidt, director of
Education and Community Development, Ford Motor Company Fund. “We are
pleased to be able to support the millennial spirit of innovation in
these students, whose projects help address critical needs within their
communities.”
Response to the Ford College Community Challenge was significant this
year, with 23 proposals from 16 of Ford's partner colleges and
universities. Five winning proposals were selected. Each school will
receive a one-time $50,000 award from Ford Motor Company Fund to
implement their proposed project.
“The Ford C3 project will bring together students and faculty from
many of our disciplines in the college,” said Makola Abdullah, dean of
FAMU’s College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture. “We
all are aware of the positive environmental impact of alternative energy
sources and we are proud to be a part of the solution.”
Ford Fund grant funding is designed to launch and sustain the
projects through the first year of implementation, and then projects
will continue with support from university and local resources. This is
the third year that Ford C3 has awarded grants to partner universities
for sustainable community projects.
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