A $1,000 gift from a leading developer of advanced fiber optic lighting solutions and integrated illumination systems for the mining industry will help West Virginia University’s Mining Extension Service better educate the next generation of miners.
RSL Fiber Systems, LLC of East Hartford, Conn., has worked closely with the state’s mining community to research and develop new technologies in the area of fiber optic lighting that can make mining safer and more efficient. To date, fiber optic lighting has not been utilized in the mining industry, but the technology plays a vital role aboard U.S. Navy warships, and has vast potential for mining applications.
“We are pleased to support the Mining Extension Service’s important programs aiding and advancing mining in the state of West Virginia,” said RSL CEO/CTO Giovanni Tomasi. “We look forward to being a valuable resource to the West Virginia mining community for years to come.”
“This donation from RSL Fiber Systems will be put to good use to benefit the Mining Extension Service’s ongoing research, education, safety and technology advancement initiatives,” said Jim Dean, director of Mining Extension Service, which is part of West Virginia University’s College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. “Partnerships such as this with leading technology developers and innovators in the private sector are critical to advancing our mission on behalf of West Virginia’s miners.
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For nearly 100 years, WVU’s Mining Extension Service has been an invaluable resource for the state’s mining industry and its workers, providing a wide variety of programs in the areas of miner training, certification, mine safety, emergency preparedness and technology advancement. The program’s field instructors live and work in major coal-producing regions and offer extensive backgrounds in both academics and real-world mining experience.
RSL Fiber Systems is the sole-source provider of remote source lighting applications for the U.S. Navy for shipboard use on the Navy experimental craft “Sea Fighter,” as well as the LPD 17 and DDG 1000 class ships. RSL employs the latest technologies to custom-design the most advanced fiber optic-based solutions for the most demanding, complex military, commercial and industrial lighting challenges.
The gift was made through the WVU Foundation, the private, non-profit corporation that generates, receives and administers private gifts for the benefit of WVU.
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CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon, CEMR
304-293-4086; mary.dillon@mail.wvu.edu