CERE Receives Growth and Opportunity for Virginia Grant

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that the Center for Energy Research and Education at Liberty received a $300,000 grant as one of five projects funded by Growth and Opportunity for Virginia.

According to the Virginia governor website, the five GO Virginia grants total $1,115,300.

“We have industries who have stated that, based on the labs being created and skill sets our students will be acquiring, that they will hire every student who goes through Liberty’s program and develops these skills,” Executive Director of the Center for Energy Research and Education Richard Diddams said.

Last spring, Liberty University bought the building that the Center for Energy Research and Education is now in. According to Diddams, if it had not been for the purchase of the building and the surrounding property, Liberty may not have received part of the GO Virginia grant.

“If it weren’t for this building, we would have found another way to accomplish our work because it’s not about the building, it’s about Liberty’s vision,” Diddams said.

Over the last weeks and months, the CERE has been in contact with other universities, industries and other entities that have expressed interest in involvement with Liberty’s vision.

“This shows you there is a commitment,” Diddams said. “This is a catalyst for growing applied research in the energy field and adding value to the School of Engineering’s program.”

As part of the project, four kinds of labs will be built: a chemical/material lab, an EMC chamber or anechoic chamber, a calibration lab and a non-destructive testing lab. Industries will work alongside students in the labs and provide them with hands-on experience, making the industry more competitive.

“It really is a big win,” Diddams said. “It raises our level of professionalism by having state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories that are very unique.”

CERE is in the process of acquiring an electron microscope to be used by not only engineering students, but also by those going into medicine and other fields. The microscope has a higher magnification capability than other microscopes that allows researchers to capture high-resolution images of both biological and non-biological specimens.

According to the Virginia governor website, the five projects under the GO Virginia grant will promote economic development.

“What we want is to recognize industry as a customer and spark innovation based on the values and ideas that both (the) industry and Liberty University have,” Diddams said.

According to Diddams, the CERE project supports Liberty University’s mission by “Training Champions for Christ” in the engineering field, research field and the applied research industries.

“At Liberty, we focus on the opportunities,” Diddams said. “God has given us the opportunity to serve a higher purpose than ourselves, and he is opening these doors for Liberty University.”

Diddams encouraged students to come out and see the new facilities at 1173 Research Way, Forest, Virginia.

“This is just the beginning of the development that CERE and other centers of excellence will be bringing to Liberty University,” Diddams said.