The first SbFCDMC workshop held in 2004 was strongly supported by industry, and that group has recommended that a second workshop be
held. This year, the organizations of the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center at the University of Connecticut, Virginia Tech, UGS
Corporation, Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez and Rio Piedras and UTC Fuel Cells are
joined by the University of South Carolina, the University of Texas, the University of North Carolina, and Stanford University as
cooperating partners. Following the recommendations of the industry group for content, the key organizations and technology partners
have identified the following challenges facing the fuel cell industry to be addressed at SbFCDMC 2005:
- Cost and durability are primary barriers driven by uncertainty of performance.
Edisonian design must be replaced by systems-to-science design and e-engineering design processes to reduce cost, make
it work better and longer, and be available sooner.
- Fuel cells are not in the main stream of engineering and engineering education.
All fields of engineering are essential to fuel cell design and manufacturing. Robust engineering methods must be
incorporated, taught, distributed, and integrated throughout the infrastructure.
In an effort to address these challenges and affect change the partners listed above have joined forces to hold a two-day workshop to
discuss potential strategies to address these areas. Attendance at the two-day workshop will once again be by invitation only and will
be limited to promote discussion. There will be no registration fee for this event. The workshop will be held starting at 9:00 am on
Monday, May 2nd and conclude at noon Tuesday, May 3rd. The workshop will be held at the Konover Auditorium in the Thomas J. Dodd
Research Center, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut. The evening of Monday May 2nd will include a buffet dinner and
demonstration event sponsored by the CT Clean Energy Fund at the CT Global Fuel Cell Center. All workshop participants are invited to
attend this event.
