DOE is funding the creation of a National Geothermal Institute through a coalition of universities around the country, and headed by the University of Nevada, Reno's Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy.
The NGI will be recruiting a director this fall and is talking about creating a physical entity. Courses will be aimed at students, industry, and government and many will be online, through a distributed network of schools.
UNR's new Redfield campus will serve as the NGI hub. It is adjacent to the large Steamboat Springs geothermal power plant [right, hot springs near Steamboat Springs. Credit, NREL] and will provide field trip and hands-on classes. DOE is providing $1.2 million as start-up funding.
Other schools involved the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cornell University, Stanford University, the Oregon Institute of Technology, the University of Utah and possibly others as the program expands.