CHESTERFIELD – Will Blanchard of Chester, a senior majoring in integrated science and technology at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, is part of a team of 30 JMU students competing this week in the Collegiate Wind Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The team has been preparing for the competition for about a year, and the final phase, which involves judging, will take place May 8-10 in Chicago at the annual meeting of the American Wind Energy Association.
JMU is one of 12 schools across the country invited to compete. Teams were required to conduct a market analysis, design and construct a wind turbine, develop a comprehensive business plan, and execute an in-depth siting analysis for a hypothetical 100-megawatt power plant within 100 miles of campus. The JMU team consists of students majoring in business, engineering, industrial design, integrated science and technology, and public policy.
Blanchard graduated May 5 from James Madison University with a bachelor of science degree in Integrated Science and Engineering with honors.
