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WZTV FOX 17 - Top Stories
A group of MTSU students and their professor could be making history this month.
They plan to drive across the country without using an ounce of gasoline.
Instead, their fuel comes right out of the faucet.
It is a car powered by hydrogen gas, and the hydrogen comes out of the water we drink.
"We actually start with water," says MTSU Professor Dr. Cliff Ricketts.
It is basic H2O, and part of it makes the perfect fuel.
"The fuel in our vehicle is a hydrogen gas, pressurized gas," says Dr. Ricketts.
Dr. Cliff Ricketts specializes in alternative fuels at MTSU. On March 9th he and his students will begin a coast to coast drive using no gas.
Using a process called electrolysis, Ricketts and his students separate the hydrogen from water.
The gas is then kept in a pressurized tank and used as fuel.
"Putting a man on the moon or going from coast to coast on sun and water, which has the most impact to mankind? I believe this does," says Dr. Ricketts.
Dr. Ricketts is even conscious about the power he is using to produce the hydrogen gas. The process is completely fueled by solar power.
This is actually a second attempt. Last year Ricketts and his team traveled across the country using only two gallons of gas.
The goal this time is to use absolutely none.
They will carry extra hydrogen with them.
Ricketts hopes to prove that America's vehicles can be energy independent and pollution free.
"It's knowing that you're making a difference to mankind, and that the research you're doing actually helps everybody," says Ricketts.
The car is all fueled up. The drive begins in just about a week, but it could have implications for years to come.
Dr. Ricketts and his team will start their trip on Tybee Island in Georgia, and conclude it five days later in Long Beach, California.
The trip coincides with MTSU's spring break.
For news updates follow John Dunn on twitter @WZTVJohnDunn
Saturday, March 2 2013, 12:44 AM CST
Tennessee News
Miss. chooses new firm to run Woodville prison
May 18, 2013 20:50 GMT
WOODVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi officials have picked a new company to run the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility.
Utah-based Management and Training Corp. announced Friday that the Mississippi Department of Corrections has chosen it to run the 1,000-bed prison starting July 1, the Natchez Democrat reports (http://bit.ly/10MvOGv).
Corrections Corporation of America, based in Nashville, Tenn., had run the prison since 1998. MTC says it will keep "the vast majority" of employees.
MTC will get a five-year contract to run the prison with two one-year options. Last year, officials chose MTC to take over East Mississippi Correctional Facility, the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility and the Marshall County Correctional Facility from the GEO Group. MTC won 10-year contracts for each.
CCA still runs the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility and the Adams County Correctional Center in Mississippi.
Information from: The Natchez Democrat, http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/
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