Colorado State University, Fort Collins Companies Recognized for Innovation in Wired Magazine June Issue
Wired magazine’s June issue lists Fort Collins as one of “The Emerging Epicenters” for innovation and high-tech job growth in green technology, singling out Fort Collins-based companies VanDyne SuperTurbo, Woodward Inc. and the Colorado State University Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory.
VanDyne SuperTurbo, Inc. specializes in the design, development and production of the SuperTurbo for the global automotive market and heavy-duty engine manufacturers. A SuperTurbo offers a cost-effective solution to address the challenges with fuel efficiency and emission reduction for all combustion engines.
VanDyne is a “spinin” at the university’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, which means it is an existing company that is using space and resources at the laboratory for research-and-development operations. The company has a sponsored research agreement through Professor Dan Olsen, who studies large, stationary natural gas and diesel engines. The company also typically hires several graduate students from the lab.
“VanDyne, a small company in Fort Collins, recently collaborated with a Colorado State University clean-energy lab to create the SuperTurbo, a supercharger that converts exhaust energy into torque to make engines up to 30 percent more efficient,” the magazine states. “Woodward, a larger local company, is working with the same lab to develop laser ignition systems for gas, turbine, and aircraft engines.”
“The success of companies like VanDyne, Woodward, and CSU’s Engines and Energy Conversion Lab are proof that the city of Fort Collins is becoming a hub for new green technology. As a City we’re focused on creating an environment where these types of businesses can succeed and expand,” said Mike Freeman, City of Fort Collins Chief Financial Officer.
The City of Fort Collins, Colorado State University, VanDyne and Woodward have joined with other partners to form the Colorado Engine and Transportation Innovation Cluster, or CETIC, which will serve as a platform for innovation and economic development in the engine and transportation industries.
About the CSU Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory
The Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory is one the nation’s premier independent energy laboratories and is acknowledged as a world leader in developing large-scale solutions to global energy problems, with particular emphasis on engine technology, smart electric grids, advanced biofuels and energy technology. In 2010, the lab, under the direction of Professor Bryan Willson, made Popular Science’s list of top 30 “amazing, hands-on programs that are almost too much fun for credit.” The lab was listed as a place to learn to be a mechanical or chemical engineer and learn to “make a 2,300 hp engine stronger and cleaner.”
About VanDyne SuperTurbo
The SuperTurbo technology was invented by Ed VanDyne during his time as the Director of Research at Woodward. The company spun out of Woodward in the fall of 2009. Since the spin out the technology has continued to gain wide acceptance from both industry and the U.S. government as evidenced by several significant contracts over the past year. In addition to the Phase I and Phase II Small Business Innovative Research Program grants for the U.S. Army, the company has also won a National Science Foundation SBIR Phase I award, and a Department of Energy “Super Truck” grant as a subcontractor to Cummins.
In October 2010, the company received the Outstanding Venture Award at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory 23rd Industry Growth Forum. The company also was named Cleantech Emerging Company of the Year by the Colorado Cleantech Industry Association. www.vandynesuperturbo.com
About Woodward
Woodward is an independent designer, manufacturer, and service provider of energy control and optimization solutions used in global infrastructure equipment. The company’s innovative fluid energy, combustion control, electrical energy, and motion control systems help customers offer cleaner, more reliable and more cost-effective equipment. Woodward is headquartered in Fort Collins. www.woodward.com.
About the City of Fort Collins
The City of Fort Collins is an award-winning, full-service municipality with 2,000 employees serving 144,000 residents, located 60 miles north of Denver. Based at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and home to Colorado State University, the city continually ranks in the top 10 best places to live nationally. Our residents are active, highly educated and engaged with community issues. www.fcgov.com
-30-