Emerson, through its Emerson Motor Company, a long-time supporter of the
University of Missouri-Rolla, recently pledged $250,000 to upgrade the Emerson
Machines and Drives Laboratory in Emerson Hall.

This gift ensures students and faculty in the electrical and computer
engineering department will continue to have use of a facility that sets UMR
apart from many universities and supports undergraduate research in electric
machines and the systems that control them. The rededication of the lab was
held Oct. 10, 2007, on the UMR campus. On Jan. 1, 2008, UMR will become
Missouri University of Science and Technology.

“The equipment that was purchased as a result of this donation will allow us
to continue our tradition of educating our students with the latest technology
in motor drives,” says Dr. Kelvin Erickson, professor and chair of UMR’s
electrical and computer engineering department.

The Emerson Machines and Drives Laboratory, which originally was funded by
Emerson in 1980, is one of the best machines and drives labs in the country.
The facility is equipped with seven independent stations, each with a
20-horsepower dynamometer, torque table, various sensors, a data acquisition
system, synchronous and variable frequency drive systems and a tie line to the
other stations.

Emerson Motor Company is one of the largest employers of UMR graduates, with
more than 250 alumni currently working for the company. Ted Peachee, chief
technology officer and executive vice president of Emerson Motor Company, said
that is the driving force behind the company’s support of UMR.

“We have hired graduates from UMR for many years,” says Peachee, who
graduated from UMR in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
“The men and women who come to us from UMR are very prepared to become active
and productive members of the Emerson team almost immediately, and it is
important that we continue to support this strong and effective program.”

Emerson Motor Company provided funding for renovations and an addition to
the original electrical engineering building in 1996. The renovations and
construction were completed in 1998, and the building was rededicated Emerson
Hall. The company also has funded a named chair in electrical engineering, and
this year marked the 20-year anniversary of the founding of the Emerson
Minority Transfer Program at UMR.

Emerson, based in St. Louis, is a
global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide
innovative solutions to customers through its network power, process
management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and
tools businesses.