Ferris Teams Win Third-Straight
ASHRAE Competition
Residents
in Lincoln, Neb., looking for an attractive, comfortable, environmentally
friendly facility in which to exercise now have a design for such,
thanks to Ferris State students. Two teams from Ferris were winners
of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers’ Student Design Competition for the third consecutive
year.
Undergraduate students from across the country were
challenged by the ASHRAE 2002 Student Design Competition to design
a family center and athletic facility in Lincoln.
Winners were announced in three categories: HVACR
system selection, HVACR design and architectural design. Projects
were evaluated on anticipated operating costs, environmental impact,
comfort, health, creativity and communication of results.
The Ferris State team that took first place in the
HVACR system design category was comprised of students from the
Applied Technology Center in Grand Rapids. Team members David
Begin, Wayne Belka, Tim Eller, Bill Kangas, Marv Kladder, Troy
Milks, Matthew Pedler and Brian Reneker were led by their advisor
Donald Steeby.
Their system features geo-thermal heat pumps with
a small boiler for radiant, in-floor fin tubes. A gymnasium and
wellness center each has two roof-top units.
First place winners in the HVACR system selection
category were Ferris students Zachary Brown, Damien Chambers,
Scott Houghton, Jason Izbicki, Scott Kaplan, Tom Tacey and Dean
Weber, who were advised by Michael Walton.
This team selected a closed loop geothermal heat pump
system. The advantages of the system include its flexibility,
easy expansion and ability to isolate and shut down unoccupied
areas.
First-place in the architectural category went to
a team from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro,
N.C.
“This year’s win is particularly significant,”
said Mike Feutz, HVACR department chair. “Walton’s
class was the first he taught at Ferris State, and Steeby taught
as an adjunct at the ATC. Teams in the past were under the guidance
of veteran professors Mitch LeClaire and Mike Korcal. This year’s
win, with students taught by a brand new faculty and an adjunct,
speak volumes about the level of quality in the program.”
First-place teams in each category received $1,500
and transportation and lodging for a representative to attend
ASHRAE’s 2003 Winter Meeting held Jan. 25-29 in Chicago
to receive their awards. Each of the projects was represented
in a poster session during the meeting.
