Team Fate/Dr. Frank
The EnergyRush video “On the Road with Professor Andrew Frank” sort of tickled my imagination from the start, because of the involvement of younger people in Dr. Frank’s projects. While I’m grateful that anyone is conducting research and making advances in the sustainable energy/fuel fields, there is a serious lack of coverage of the under 40 set. I’m hoping that our upcoming stories on the Solar Decathlon and EVS-23 will reveal some fresh faces. The fact that Dr. Frank works out of UC Davis and not some sort of national conglomerate — and is still producing the most cutting-edge technology around — should be a big happy flag for all of us seeking out the presence of a younger crowd, and an indicator that the top players in the green fuel movement are a mixed bag. For a while, I had the feeling that people pushing for green (and enjoying some mainstream success) were mostly borderline yuppies of a certain age who were tapping back into their hippie roots while using the marketplace knowledge they gained during the freakfest we like to call “The Eighties.” Not so. Team Fate, the brainchild of Dr. Frank, made its entrance in 1971 at the University of Wisconsin, and then migrated with its papa to UC Davis in 1985. Young People have always served as the base of Dr. Frank’s vision (well, that’s my assumption, but knowing that Dr. Frank is a teacher, I don’t think it’s too inaccurate). Anyway, you can read about Team Fate’s history, check out their blog, learn about Challenge X, and read up on the UC Davis’ Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Center (under the direction of Dr. Frank) on the Team Fate page. Enjoy!
–Refined gOil
