To celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Robert Fulton’s Clermont, the first steam-powered ship to sail up the Hudson River, students will fit the “New Clermont” with a unique engine powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and retrace Fulton’s famous voyage from New York to Albany.
Clockwise from lower right: Leah Rollhaus (Management MBA ’10), Jason Kumnick (Materials Engineering), Paul Dejardin (Computer Engineering), Will Gathright (Materials Engineering and Management MS ’10), Casey Hoffman (Mechanical Engineering
Just as Fulton sought to prove the feasibility of steam power to the world, the New Clermont Project aims to prove the viability of green, pollution-free hydrogen fuel cells as a power source. Lally Students Leah Rollhaus MBA ’10, Will Gathright MS ’10 and PhD candidate, and Michael Mullaney MBA ‘11 are part of an RPI team that has been hard at work cleaning the boat and fundraising for the project. The New Clermont team had an exhibit at the Clearwater Hudson River Revival Festival in June and reported great success: “
That was one great weekend! I think my voice is sore from talking to sooo many people. We definitely got the word out about our project and the kids at the festival loved the carnival style game we set up and playing with the Remote Control Boat!” For more info, photos and videos, see The New Clermont Project FACEBOOK page.
