Governor Walz Kicks Off First-Ever TLI Electroposium
TLI's first-ever Electroposium took over McNamara Alumni Center's Memorial Hall on Monday, and luminaries ranging from Governor Tim Walz to Goldy Gopher was on hand to celebrate.
TLI faculty member Chip Laingen and TLI Operations Director Travis Thul set the stage, describing the newly formed Minnesota Center for Electrification Opportunity (MNCEO) as a public-private partnership that will make Minnesota an economic hub for electrification development
TLI's partners in MNCEO include Thermo King, Polaris, Toro, Design Ready Controls and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
Governor Walz gave the keynote address at the event, praising the early groundwork done by MNCEO in building an innovation hub for electrification in Minnesota.
"To use a very Minnesota metaphor, we don't want to end up chasing the puck," Walz told the audience of approximately 350. "Through these programs, we're finding ways to bring more Minnesotans into the labor market, grow our economy and help businesses and workers thrive ....I'd like you to spread the word about the great things that are happening here, that this is an area to watch and to invest in."
Another celebrity on hand for the Electroposium was Goldy Gopher, who arrived on the electric scooter he frequently rides to entertain the crowds across the street at Huntington Bank stadium. The tall, hirsute rodent greeted Electroposium guests, giving plenty of high-fives and posing for pictures with attendees.
Goldy paused to marvel at the electric vehicles lined up outside McNamara, including UMN Motorsports's own electric racer, a stripped-down electric concept car designed to compete with electric vehicles from other schools in the areas of efficiency, acceleration, endurance and more. The competitions between universities help drive development of new electric car innovation.
The buck-toothed burrowing mammal climbed into Polaris and Ziegler utility vehicles parked outside and posed for pictures for his many fans.
This first-of-its-kind event was designed to work as a multimodal platform, combining elements of a recruitment event, technology demonstration exposition, training seminar, and long-term planning forum. Students from regional high schools, the Minnesota State system, the University of Minnesota, and other universities and colleges were invited to attend the Electroposium at no charge.
On the floor were demonstrations and info booths from numerous exhibitors, including Tektronix, H.B. Fuller, Evocharge, Metro Transit, The Plum Catalyst, Apadana Solar, Toro, Thermo King and TLI.
The afternoon breakout sessions revealed the breadth and variety of electrification projects. One discussion focused on offering electrification training courses to those currently serving in prison. The Plum Catalyst talked about workforce development via electrification systems in greater Minnesota, while Metro Transit gave an update to electrifying its public transit fleet. Gopher Motorsports described its annual process for refining and redesigning its electric racing car for annual competiton, a process that gives students hands-on experience in innovative electric car design. 3M representatives also discussed new business opportunities that are being made possible by electrification.