Learning about hydrogen power and the hydrogen economy became easier Monday when the University of Montana's College of Technology unveiled its new H2education Web site.

Created with federal funding, the site was made for the U.S. Department of Energy, K-12 students and teachers, and anyone else interested in learning about the alternative fuel source, said Paul Williamson, COT dean. Its address is www.h2education.com.

The site, which is designed to be user-friendly and focused on K-12 education, is the first of three goals to be accomplished with the $750,000 federal grant COT received last year, Williamson said.

COT's two other goals are to create an online program at the school to train energy technicians and to create a national hydrogen training center in partnership with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo.

Both projects are moving forward, Williamson said, but COT's proposal for an energy technician associate degree program is dependent on approval from UM's top officers and the Montana Board of Regents.

For now, COT is celebrating its first mission accomplished - the launch of the Web site.

"I think it's a fantastic tie for Montana because it ties technology, K-12 education and two-year education programs all together in one project," Williamson said. "It's a really well-done Web site and it opens up a portal for us to do a lot more things like this in the future."

Williamson said he's most excited about the untapped potential of the site.

"This starts a process nationwide where we can provide cooperation and collaboration with other institutions and agencies across the country to coordinate hydrogen education," he said.

The site features information about the hydrogen economy, including production, politics, fuel cells and effect of the emerging fuel source.

"We will continue to build on and develop the site," Williamson said, "and this will become the one place for people all over the country to learn about hydrogen education."



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