Virginia Tech's Virginia Power Electronics Center submitted the ERC proposal on behalf of the five universities. He predicted the center's work in the next 10 years would result in a 30 percent savings in electric power consumption. This includes motor drives for heat pumps, air conditioners, and other industrial and residential applications. Lipo, campus director of the project, says the NSF funding will sponsor at least 10 additional graduate students at UW-Madison, as well as new laboratory equipment. A species that's expanding its range can hurt an established species by preying on it or out-competing it for food and habitat.
Damage generally occurs when exotic species invade new territory.
If you're looking for causes of grouse declines, likely culprits include development of habitat and maturing forests. Turkeys were moving into the area last year, but this year, grouse counts are up despite the newcomers. Lutz's current research at UW-Madison focuses on the ecology and management of quail, turkeys, woodcock, songbirds, magpies, and the threatened piping plover. He in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and serves as a fellow at Chadbourne Residential College.