Ameren opens Innovation Center at Research Park
February 11, 2015
Ameren Corporation, a Fortune 500 energy company based out of St. Louis, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday to commemorate the opening of its Innovation Center at Research Park.
Chancellor Phyllis Wise, Mayor Don Gerard and State Rep. Carol Ammons, D-103, were among those in attendance.
Ameren has been building a relationship with the University for several years now, said Laura Weisskopf Bleill, assistant director for external relations at Research Park. In the past, the company has worked on research projects with the College of Engineering.
The decision to open an Innovation Center in Urbana-Champaign was made because of the University’s emphasis on engineering and green technology.
“The University is looking forward to an ever deepening and widening relationship with (Ameren),” Wise said. “The Ameren Innovation Center will give our students the opportunity to work on smart energy solutions for the Midwest and beyond.”
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The center will be opening up part-time employment opportunities for up to 12 University students. According to a press release, students across multiple disciplines will work on projects ranging from data analytics to mobile applications that focus on the future needs of Ameren’s utility customers.
Mary Heger, vice president of Information Technology at Ameren, said the partnership with the University is “extremely important” to Ameren and the company hopes to foster innovation and leaders while developing many products in the Innovation Center.
“We also hope to develop a talent pipeline to help us continue to build a skilled workforce,” Heger said in a press release. “This is important as we transition to smart grid technologies and explore future new energy services that may be wanted and needed by our customers.”
Ameren is the first major energy company to open an office at the University’s Research Park.
Research Park recently opened an AbbVie Innovation Center, and will be opening a new center for Caterpillar, in addition to its existing office.
Katherine can be reached at [email protected].
