Owens, BGSU may get grants

7/24/2007

Two northwest Ohio higher-education institutions may receive federal money from three bills the House Appropriations Committee passed recently without opposition.

The Labor HHS, Education Appropriations Act includes $150,000 for the Center for Emergency Preparedness at House appropriations panel OKs funds unanimouslyto connect local first responders throughout Ohio to the scenario-based training facility on the Owens Toledo Campus The funding would allow first responders to connect to the Toledo campus through Ohio's OSCnet fiber-optic communications network to view training scenarios and participate in discussions.

Money was included for Bowling Green State University for two separate projects, each in a different bill The Energy and Water Appropriations Act includes $100,000 for BGSU's Coastal Wind Ohio partnership with the city of Huron, Ohio. The funding would allow BGSU to buy and install two wind turbines and wind-power experimentation stations for the Huron area.

The Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act includes $375,000 for BGSU's Lake Erie remote sensing project. The funding would help BGSU take satellite images of Lake Erie algae blooms, then measure and map the location of algae and coliform bacteria in Lake Erie and its tributary rivers and streams, which could then be used to gain further information about the lake's ecology.

Rep. Paul Gillmor (R., Tiffin) called Owens Community College and BGSU officials to inform them of the potential funding. Passage by the House Appropriations Committee is only the first step in the bills' legislative progress. They must be passed by Congress, and then be signed by the President.