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CUMTD to go green CONTRIBUTING WRITER
UI center awarded millions
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that runs the bus. The buses will run by a chemical process, as opposed to a burning process, and will have zero emissions. As opposed to releasing carbon into the environment, the hydrogen fuel cell buses will only emit drinkable water, Sullivan said. The buses will be “quietly driven vehicle(s)” because “there’s no engine... just an electric motor,” Gnadt said. As of now, CUMTD uses solar panels as an energy source. They plan on expanding their solar array in an effort to lower the costs of production for the hydrogen fuel cell buses. Gadt said CUMTD’s focus is “not just what is released into the environment, but we’re also not depleting natural resources.” CTE is a non profit organization that assisted CUMTD in researching and finding funding for the hydrogen fuel cell buses, Sullivan said. CUMTD’s effort to reduce Champaign-Urbana’s carbon footprint has been long-standing. Their move toward hydrogen fuel is the next step in a virtually decadelong promise to purchase buses less dependent on diesel fuel. “A pile of carbon released by one diesel-fueled bus, in a day, would be equivalent to the size of a 2,000-square-foot house,” said Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Kyle Smith. The hydrogen fuel cell buses are expected to hit the road in 2019.
BY NIANI SCOTT
Vol. 147 Issue 9
The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District was awarded $1.45 million by the Federal Transit Administration to update the city buses after partnering with the Center for Transportation and the Environment. The new buses will replace two of the standard diesel-powered buses that are 16 years old. The recommendation is to keep buses for up to 12 years, so those have exceeded their useful life, said Jane Sullivan, grants manager of CUMTD. The grant will help pay for the more expensive hydrogen fuel cell buses, and CUMTD wants to produce their own hydrogen on site, said Karl Gnadt, managing director of CUMTD. In addition to buying buses, CUMTD will build the infrastructure that allows them to produce hydrogen with the grant money. A standard diesel bus costs approx imately $300,000, whereas a hybrid costs about $30,000 more, according to ThoughtCo. Hydrogen fuel cell buses are more expensive than a standard diesel or hybrid bus, and CUMTD is purchasing 60-foot buses, which is an “up-charge,” Gnadt said. In order to execute the hydrogen production plan, they will use electrolysis. Then, they will release the oxygen and store the hydrogen in a tank. The hydrogen will then be injected into the fuel cell in the the bus. Chemically, they will reintroduce oxygen to create water. The process will release energy that will niani2@dailyillini.com power the electric motor
BY JOSE ZEPEDA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
more in DGS, broke her femur last year when her wheelchair hit a big pothole. She was on her way to the Financial Aid Office and Student Services Building. “That whole area apparently, I’ve heard, is pretty notorious for not being very safe in terms of how the sidewalks are,” Bryant said. “It’s definitely made me a lot more
The National Science Foundation has awarded $15.6 million to the University’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. “We pride ourselves in our community, and this grant is something that fits really well here,” said Nadya Mason, professor in engineering and director of the project. “So I am really excited to just build on the materials community and really make it bigger.” The money will be used in order to create interdisciplinary teams of researchers, including professors, undergraduate and graduate students. There will be two groups of researchers. The first group will study new magnetic materials and will also be looking at a way to control magnetism. The second group will be looking at new ways to interface electronics and will design new electronic materials that are completely bendable. “The purpose of this group is to figure out what happens when you have a high quality electronic material that is really completely bendable,” Mason said. “So hard electronics, like things on your phone, with soft materials that are biologically relevant.” These students will also receive help from Catherine Murphy, professor in chemistry. “I will be engaged in the science communication, education and outreach activities of the Center,” she said. Each of the programs
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400 sidewalks, ramps to be updated BY KAREN LIU STAFF WRITER
As one of the most disability-friendly campuses in the country, the University is working on bettering the accessible infrastructure through the Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan Supplement. The draft was released in April, following a self-evaluation of primary University sidewalks and build-
ing entrances, according to Steve Breitwieser, manager of communication and external relationships in Facilities and Services. “Approximately 400 deficiencies were identified on University property, mainly regarding sidewalk and ramp conditions,” Breitwieser said in an email. Such deficiencies did not go unnoticed by the students. Lauren Bryant, sopho-
ISR looking to expand dining hall and its services
ELISABETH NEELY THE DAILY ILLINI
Managing Director Karl Gnadt and Grants Manager Jane Sullivan stand in front of the new solar panels that will help run the 2019 CUMTD hydrogen fuel cell buses. BANG NGUYEN THE DAILY ILLINI
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ISR dining hall located on West Illinois Street Urbana. The dining hall will be undergoing renovations and expansions in 2018. BY AARON BRANNEN STAFF WRITER
Farewell to Pygmalion 2017
Editorial: Slice Factory vs. Antonio’s
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The University announced earlier this month that the dining hall facility of Illinois Street Residence Halls will be undergoing a twoyear period of renovations, beginning in the summer of 2018 and ending in the summer of 2020. According to Universi-
ty Housing Director Alma Sealine, the main reason for these renovations is the current inability to properly facilitate the high volume of students that eat there on a regular basis. “(There are) currently 750 seats in ISR,” Sealine said. “That is the largest capacity that we have, and we are averaging, for lunch and din-
ners, 2,000 individuals, and so we have run out of capacity to serve our students effectively.” To correct this problem, the dining area will be expanded to seat 1,385, which in turn “expands the programmatic space for ISR.” This new space will be used to accommodate nine new restaurants, new multi-
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purpose rooms, a fitness center, a meditation center and a Counseling Center satellite office. Some people have speculated that the purpose of this renovation also has to do with improving the dining experience and attracting more patrons to the facility.
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