Technician
tuesday february
7
2012
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Student organization works to further leadership A campus group works to further leadership for Hispanics, Chicanos and Native Americans in science. Shawn Thompson Staff Writer
million will get paid through the savings realized,” Dean said. “The reason we are using this type of funding mechanism is because it is lean financial and budget times we have upwards of $500 million in backlog of repair and renovations … and the state doesn’t have that the University doesn’t have that and we don’t have that many donors jumping up.” According to Dean, the performance contract ensures that the project will pay for itself over the course of 17 years with no risk of loss to the University. “[Ameresco] does the work and they guarantee us a certain return on that, they guarantee that we will have a certain amount of energy savings,” Dean said. “If those savings aren’t realized, and these are verified by a third party, they have to make up the difference. The University is not on the hook, which saves the taxpayers and the students.” Still, some students have other concerns beyond money. Tara
The Society for the Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, or NCSU SACNAS, Chapter joined N.C. State’s campus last spring. Since its inception, NCSU SACNAS has created a resource for all University students who are interested in pursuing higher education in the sciences. The University’s chapter of SACNAS came to campus to promote the pursuit of graduate degrees and academic careers, as well as industry careers. “Our goal in starting this chapter is to bring the amazing opportunities that SACNAS provides to our student population here at NCSU,” GinaMaria Pomann, president of NCSU SACNAS, said. Although there are SACNAS chapters across the nation, the University’s chapter is the first and only chapter of SACNAS in North Carolina. Having SACNAS on campus will give students the opportunity to continue their education efforts on a graduate level, while gaining valuable leadership skills, according to Pomann. Through the mission of NCSU SACNAS to ‘increase the number of students of diverse backgrounds that pursue graduate degrees in the STEM fields, the group will hold different events, partnering with other student organizations to promote the ideal of networking and diversity. “We hope to promote a mentoring network between graduate and undergraduate students, provide seminars focused towards the promotion of diversity and academic excellence and increase the attendance of NCSU students at the SACNAS conference,” Pomann said. Opportunities offered by SACNAS include seminars and workshops, cosponsored by WE CONNECT NOW
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Jordan Moore/Technician
Alan Daeke, director of utilities and engineering services, and Damiand Lallathin, project manager for Cates Utility Plant renovations, oversee the lifting of the new generator, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. The 11 Megawatt Combined Heat and Power system will pay for itself in energy savings over the next 17 years.
Seeking sustainability with turbine system The University’s installment of new power generator looks to save money and decrease carbon output. Young Lee Deputy Features Editor
What costs N.C. State $22 million every year and emits greenhouse gases that degrade the environment? The answer is N.C. State’s annual usage of energy. However, according to David Dean, the outreach coordinator of N.C. State’s Office of Sustainability, the University is always working to minimize our energy usage and make things more efficient. “We have a mandate saying we have to achieve a certain reduction by 2015, we have a mandate from the vice chancellor of finance and business as well as the provost; [they] all say that we have to address energy,” Dean said. “When we’re spending $22 million on it, it’s something to be concerned about.” By this August, the University will be able to have greater control over
this issue as construction of new heat recovery steam generators will be complete. The new power generators will be the University’s first venture into the production of large amounts of energy and will service 8 million gross square feet—more than half of NCSU’s square footage. “We’ve been buying energy from Progress Energy,” Dean said. “We’ve got some smaller scale things such as solar panels here and there but nothing like the 11 megawatts [the new turbines will be able to produce].” However, as the name implies, the heat recovery steam generators do more than just produce 11 megawatts of energy. According to Dean, these units represent a step towards much greater efficiency and a substantial reduction of green house gases that the University would have produced. In fact, with these new units in place, University facilities will be reducing energy consumption by 30 percent and reducing green house gas production by 8 percent, which would is 2,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide that will not be produced. The reason why combined heat and power is so efficient is because it gen-
erates the power with turbine output, using fossil fuels to turn the turbine. Excess heat, in essence energy, would otherwise go to waste. This heat is captured by the heat recovery steam generator, which captures heat energy produced as a byproduct and uses it to vaporize water. This steam goes out to the rest of campus to heat facilities, according to Dean. “So it’s a closed loop system,” Dean said. “In the past, we were buying all of our power from Progress Energy and we were making steam to heat over in Yarbrough but we were using 60-year-old units.” This project is a revamp of the entire University system. But the changes don’t come cheap. The entire construction will cost N.C. State $61 million. However, this money will come from the money that the University is saving on making the switch. Buying energy, instead of producing it, would cost more. The liability falls on Ameresco Inc., the company that will handle the project, in accordance to a performance contract the University has with Ameresco Inc. “Just in the first year, N.C. State will save $4.3 million of savings…the $61
Engineering professor awarded for his work with students and research Christopher Frey, engineering professor, is being awarded for giving his students good opportunities. Anna Riley Staff Writer
Christopher Frey, civil, construction, and environmental engineering professor, was selected by the Air and Waste Management Association’s Board of Directors to receive the 2012 Lyman A. Ripperton Environmental Educator Award. The award, given to an educator who has achieved something in some field of air pollution control, was created in 1980. Those who receive the award
are judged by the performance of their students. The basic idea is to award an educator that has helped students achieve professional and social success, according to the Air and Waste Management Association. Frey’s accomplishment will be honored at the A&WMA’s 105th Annual Conference and Exhibition in June. The award winners are recognized namely by their students’ achievements. This semester at N.C. State, Frey’s classes include air quality, principles of air quality engineering, and environmental exposure and risk analysis. Frey said he was nominated based on his work with undergraduate and graduate research assistants, student advising and positive student evaluations. Some of Frey’s students have
gotten attention for their own research National Research Council. Frey was chosen to receive the Enwork, including Brandon Graver, a graduate teacher and research assis- vironmental Educator Award because tant, who was featured in the South- of his research and teaching contrieastern Transportation Center’s butions in the areas of air pollution emissions, exSu m mer 2010 posure and risk Research Spotassessment, and light for his work systems analysis on measuring the of energy techemissions, activity and energy Christopher Frey, engineering professor nologies. According to use of passenger and award recipient t he A&W M A, trains. the award is disFrey is the faculty advisor of the N.C. State chapter tinctive because “recipients must be of the Air and Waste Management As- able to teach with rigor, humor, husociation. He also serves on the US En- mility and pride.” Many past winners of this award are vironmental Protection Agency Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, extremely well known in their fields, as well as the Board of Environmen- according to Frey. He said he is excited tal Studies and the Toxicology of the and honored to be in such company.
“I am very honored to receive the award.”
“I am very honored to receive the award-- a lot of past recipients are generally [very] well-known in their fields,” Frey said. Currently, Frey said much of his work and research is focused on measuring car, truck and railroad locomotive emissions. Additionally, he said he’s working with undergraduate and graduate students to measure human exposure to air pollution. To continue to make strides in air pollution control research and education, Frey said he is trying to get students involved with his work. Frey wants students to be hands-on and active in emissions-related research.
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