(L-R) Professor Max Lu, University of Surrey president and vice-chancellor and Robin Chopra Fluor's senior vice president and Surrey Alum, at official opening of the Fluor Pilot Plant.
IRVING, US/ FARNBOROUGH, UK: Fluor Corporation (FLR) said that its pilot plant at the University of Surrey (UK) is being used by the first chemical engineering graduates.
A donation of $300,000, made through Fluor’s philanthropic organization, the Fluor Foundation, was provided to the university’s chemical and process engineering department earlier this year to upgrade and refurbish the plant to produce industry-prepared engineers.
The Fluor pilot plant also provides realistic industry experience to trainee chemical weapons inspectors who use the facility to gain practical hands-on experience in preparation for their fieldwork. The trainees are from the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.
“Fluor continuously invests in developing future engineers, so we are particularly pleased to work with the University of Surrey to provide third-year students with industry experience by running a small-scale manufacturing plant as part of their practical experience module,” said David Seaton, chairman and CEO of Fluor Corporation.
“We are very grateful for Fluor’s generous grant that has benefitted our students. At Surrey, we pride ourselves on our industry connections. Fluor is an important partner of the university and a significant potential destination for our graduates. This Fluor pilot plant is improving the quality of the practice-based learning that we provide students who will enter the industry with enhanced skills and experience,” said professor Max Lu, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Surrey.
“Fluor in the UK is working with government and academia to develop the optimum engineering talent pool for the country, and it is particularly pleasing that our long collaboration with Surrey University has resulted in enhancing industry-like experience for chemical engineering graduates,” said Ashley Rees, VP and managing director of Fluor’s UK operations.
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