NiSource Inc., parent company of NIPSCO and Columbia Gas, awarded a $100,000 grant to the Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation on the Hammond campus to encourage research in workplace safety education.

The money will be used to improve training for employees and first responders in the electrical and natural gas fields through virtual simulations and visualization technologies.

Chenn Zhou, director of CIVS and professor of mechanical engineering, said the grant is a welcome addition to the center’s programs.

“We’ve hired or mentored over 1,400 students since 2009,” Zhou said. “We’ve brought over $20 million in grants to support the students and
faculty.”