Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who are we?
2. What do we do?
3. What is our vision?
4. How do we plan to achieve our vision?
5. Who benefits?
6. How can I get involved?
1. Who are we?
We
are the NFPA Education and Technology Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt,
charitable organization that supports educational programs and research in
fluid power.
2. What do we do?
The
Foundation raises money from individuals, institutions and corporations
interested in supporting its purpose, and oversees programs designed to
facilitate:
- Ground-breaking research providing transformative effects;
- Engineers better equipped to solve tomorrow’s challenges;
and
- Students engaged and in control of their own futures.
Our major program objectives are:
- Award research grants to help develop the technologies the fluid
power industry needs to stay competitive and meet the needs of its
customers.
- Provide project grants to universities and technical
schools to develop fluid power education materials.
- Expand the pool of students exposed to fluid power
technology and build connections between the fluid power industry
and the young people who will be tomorrow's engineers and
technicians.
3. What is our vision?
Led by industry volunteers and administered by the National
Fluid Power Association, we envision a world in which fluid
power provides safe, clean and efficient energy for an
ever-increasing range of applications. In this world,
well-educated engineers work to apply fluid power and other
advancing technologies to endeavors designed to better our
society and the human condition.
The fluid power industry faces a critical shortage of skilled
workers. Expansion of fluid power research and education is
necessary to reverse this trend and to ensure an
adequately-prepared workforce for the future needs of the
industry and the people it serves.
4. How do we plan to achieve our vision?
Our vision can be realized by investing in fluid power
research, by translating the resulting research breakthroughs
into engineering education, and by utilizing that momentum to
attract increasing numbers to careers in engineering and fluid
power.
-
Research. The fluid power industry is driving a
revitalization of fluid power research in the United
States. It has created a Technology Roadmap—a technology
development plan that encompasses both hydraulic and
pneumatic technologies. The Foundation uses this Roadmap
to direct funding towards projects that will create
technologies that serve the needs of wide industry
sectors. This funding not only shapes fluid power’s
competitive position with alternative technologies, it
also provides critical academic infrastructure and
momentum for our industry. Research funding for fluid
power attracts professors and graduate students to our
discipline, which translates into research discovery and
new concepts and curriculum for undergraduates and other
students.
- Education. It is critical for us to use the
infrastructures and discoveries that come from our
research investments to assist and accelerate the
educational process at universities and technical schools.
Too many future engineers and technicians are graduating
without fluid power as part of their toolbox and, as such,
are applying the wrong tools to many of the real-world
challenges they face. The Foundation provides small grants
and technical assistance to support the development fluid
power teaching and training materials at the universities,
technical schools and high schools that have joined the
National Fluid Power Association as educator members. With
this help, they are better equipping the next generation
of engineers and technicians.
- Recruitment. To succeed, we must also attract
young people to the industry and to the education programs
supported by the Foundation. The youth of today are not
focused on careers in science and applied technology, so
we sponsor activities designed to introduce our technology
to students in middle school and younger grade
levels—before lifelong opinions and biases can be set. Our
programs excite and unlock the limitless possibilities of
a young person’s imagination, allowing them handle and
manipulate fluid power components and see the direct
results of their adjustments through the powerful motions
that result. This active interaction with the technology
is immediately appealing to the curiosity of a young
person with the natural skills and inclinations to be one
of tomorrow’s problem solvers.
5. Who benefits?
Our activities benefits several important constituencies:
- Students. Careers in fluid power are exciting,
challenging, and rewarding. By connecting students with these
opportunities, the Foundation positively impacts their lives and
livelihoods.
- Educational institutions. Universities,
technical colleges, high schools and middle schools provide access
to the young people who will become the professionals of tomorrow.
Foundation grants help them build resources and infrastructure to
better meet their educational missions.
- The fluid power industry. The suppliers,
manufacturers, distributors, and customers that make up the fluid
power supply chain are the primary source of donations to the
Foundation. This support helps create a stronger industry, with
research driving product innovation and education for an expanded
and better prepared workforce.
- Mankind. Fluid power holds tremendous
promise to deliver safe, clean, efficient energy in a wide variety
of applications. The breakthroughs associated with research
investment will transform our global society for the better.
6. How can I get involved?
There are many
ways to support the activities of the NFPA Education and Technology
Foundation:
- Donate. Click
here to make a donation. Your support is greatly
appreciated.
- Volunteer. If you are a member of the fluid
power industry or one of the industries that uses
fluid power technology, we need your expertise to make
smarter decisions about funding direction and program
development. Contact
Eric Lanke for more information.
- Apply for a research grant. If you are a
researcher and would like to explore funding
opportunities from the Foundation, contact
Sue Chase for
more information.
- Apply for an education grant. If
you teach fluid power or engineering and would like to
explore funding opportunities to develop new teaching
resources, contact
Sue Chase for more information.