Research and Technology Forums

Green Buildings and Health: From the Lab to the Real World

February 23, 2017

Dr. Joseph Allen and Dr. Piers MacNaughton of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Dr. Usha Satish of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University returned home to the Syracuse Center of Excellence yesterday to discuss the results of their second COGfx study “Buildingomics.” After their initial project revealed a connection between indoor environmental air quality (i.e. low carbon dioxide and volatile organic compound levels) and cognitive function, the researchers wanted to follow-up by looking at work environments as a whole. To do so, they posed the following question: what impact does an entire building have?

Moving from the TIEQ Lab at SyracuseCoE, used in the first study, to real-world office buildings across the United States, the group compared and contrasted variables between high-performing non-certified buildings and high-performing green-certified buildings. Their results revealed that green-certified buildings improve cognitive function in general by 26 percent, but people’s overall health improved by 30 percent, shedding light on the health benefits of enhanced environments. Not only were occupants able to to strategize better, respond faster, appear more focused and manage tasks more efficiently, they were also able to sleep better after they left, showing the long-lasting impact better buildings can have. The difference between the two types of buildings? Controllable thermal comfort and lighting options.

At the presentation John Mandyck said he believes these findings are the missing piece of what he calls the “Green Building Trifecta.” Over the years, green buildings have grown in popularity, but now this study has proven the positive physical and mental impact green buildings can have on tenants, creating an even greater benefit for investing in green-certification. Soon, job candidates may be asking their potential employers at interviews: What are the CO2 levels in the office? What’s the ventilation like in the building I will be working in?

Presenters:

Dr. Joseph G. Allen, Assistant Professor, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Piers MacNaughton, Doctoral Candidate at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Dr. Usha Satish, Professor, Department of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University
John Mandyck, Chief Sustainability Officer, United Technologies Corporation

Research & Technology Forum Series

SyracuseCoE offers regularly scheduled forums and networking showcasing innovative research, technologies and other opportunities of interest to stakeholders and community members. Past topics have included groundbreaking industry projects to modernize the HVAC systems at the Sistine Chapel, workshops to help state agencies develop funding priorities, and research on the impact of “green” buildings on cognitive function. To receive notice of these events, sign up for email updates at the “Join our mailing list” tab at the bottom right corner of the website. Visit the Research & Technology Forum page to see the archive.

‘Precision’ Medicine and Environments: Emerging Opportunities for Individualized Care and Comfort

January 25, 2017

SyracuseCoE and Central New York Biotechnology Accelerator (CNY BAC) partnered in a joint Research and Technology Forum yesterday that explored emerging approaches at the interface of health care and environmental control. The Forum included presentations by Dr. Robert Corona, SUNY Upstate Vice President for Innovation and Business Development, and Mike Wetzel, President and CEO of Air Innovations. The presenters offered insight about how to utilize precision medicine to customize healthcare and to take into account the biological, environmental and behavioral factors that drive disease.

Right from the start, many SyracuseCoE partners have pursued a vision for leveraging one of Central New York’s signature industry clusters to catalyze innovations in technologies for built environments that would improve occupant health and wellness. Synergistically, the Central New York Biotechnology Accelerator (CNY BAC) envisions building on regional strengths to advance innovations in”precision medicine,” which seeks to improve disease treatment and prevention by taking into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person.

Presenters:

Dr. Robert Corona

DO, MBA, FCAP, FASCP, John B, Henry and Chair of Pathology, Medical Director of Neuropathology/Pathology, Vice President for Innovation and Business Development, Central New York Biotech Accelerator, Upstate Medical University

Making sense of a lifetime of big data that each individual generates will allow us to better predict and prevent disease, personalize our health care, and engage each of us to participate in the management of our care.

Each individual generates billions of bits of information from conception, through fetal development, the birthing process and then throughout life until death. Newer technologies will be capturing new types of personal data that we may use to improve the quality of our lives. We produce physiologic data detected by our wearable sensors, laboratory data, imaging data, vital sign monitoring data, data from our genes and the proteins our body manufactures.

Can we build a learning health system that extracts data patterns from EMRs, gene sequencers, laboratory tests, medical imaging, social media, mobile health and e-health technologies? We will be able to forecast disease, predict outcomes and responses to therapies? The applications for actionable data are endless. This is the future of precision medicine.

Mike Wetzel

President and CEO, Air Innovations

Air Innovations has a long history of engineering environments to meet a wide variety of specific challenges. While many of our applications are for protecting sensitive processes or valuable goods, we are seeing more applications emerging related to human health and wellness. And access to individualized environmental control is just on the horizon.

Moderator:

Ed Bogucz

Executive Director, SyracuseCoE, Associate Professor, Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Photo from R&T Forum – ‘Precision’ Medicine and Environments: Emerging Opportunities for Individualized Care and Comfort

Research & Technology Forum Series

From Idea to Market: Perspectives from Student, Faculty, and Industry Entrepreneurs

November 15, 2016

SyracuseCoE celebrated Global Entrepreneurship Week with a Research & Technology Forum that featured three perspectives on commercializing innovations energy and environmental systems. Those who presented were a founder and CEO of a student-led venture, a faculty entrepreneur who participated in the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program, and a founder of a start-up company that brought game-changing LED lighting to sporting arenas across the country, including a stadium that hosted the Super Bowl. The presenters offered personal insights on opportunities and challenges along the paths of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Presenters:

Joe Casper

Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Ephesus Lighting

Joe is uncompromisingly committed to creating a whole new evolution in LED lighting technology. He drives design and engineering solutions to deliver what the customer needs rather than what the industry has been making. Joe brings to Ephesus 30+ years of experience and career achievements, which include work with industry leaders like Motorola, Fairchild Semiconductor, Lockheed Martin and part of the startup team for WaferTech, a Washington state-based semiconductor facility he helped grow to 1400+ employees and $1 billion in revenue.

Yan-Yeung Luk

Associate Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University

Luk is a faculty member in the Chemistry Department of Syracuse University since 2004. With a few of technologies spun out of his laboratory, and with his scientific advisory experiences to two biotechnology companies, Luk founded LifeUnit LLC, a startup company that develops chemical innovations for controlling bacteria-related diseases and problems. LifeUnit LLC has won the Innovation Corps grant from National Science Foundation, and Luk is the acting Chief Scientific Officer for the technical operation of LifeUnit.

Joshua Aviv

Founder and CEO, SparkCharge

Josh Aviv, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SparkCharge, holds a bachelors degree in Economics from Syracuse University with a focus in Environmental Economics and currently finishing his master’s degree in Information Science, with a C.A.S. in Data Science. Josh is in charge of product development and day-to-day operations including establishing relationships with electric vehicle (EV) owners. Josh, an EV owner himself, has extensive EV expertise and has been in the industry for the past 3 years.

Research & Technology Forum Series

U.S. Power Plant Carbon Standards and the Potential for Clean Air, Human Health and Ecosystem Co-benefits

October 18, 2016

Charles Driscoll and Kathy Fallon Lambert presebted the results of an ongoing project on co-benefits associated with policies to control carbon dioxide emissions from electric utilities by a boundary-spanning organization, the Science Policy Exchange. Carbon dioxide emissions standards for U.S. power plants will influence the fuels and technologies used to generate electricity, altering emissions of pollutants and affecting ambient air quality and public and ecosystem health. Three alternative scenarios for U.S. power plant carbon standards were evaluated for changes in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone concentrations in ambient air, and resulting public health and ecosystem co-benefits For two of the three policy scenarios, carbon standards for existing power plants can substantially decrease emissions of co-pollutants, and improve air quality and public health beyond existing air quality policies. A stringent but flexible policy that counts demand-side energy efficiency toward compliance yields the greatest health and ecosystem benefits, and a favorable benefit-cost analysis. The magnitude and the nature of the co-benefits associated with this policy were highly distributed spatially with all of the coterminous states receiving some health benefits and many states experiencing ecosystem benefits. Their work involves an evaluation of options considered for implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Power Plan. In addition to the presentation on co-benefits, there was a discussion of the Science Policy Exchange and the outreach effort associated with the project.

Presenters:

Professor Charles T. Driscoll

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University

Charles T. Driscoll is a Distinguished and University Professor at Syracuse University. He received his BS from the University of Maine and MS and PhD from Cornell. Driscoll’s research addresses the effects of disturbance on forest, freshwater and marine ecosystems, including air pollution (acid and mercury deposition), land-use, and climate change. Driscoll has testified at Congressional and state legislative committee hearings, and served on many local, national and international committees. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Kathy Fallon Lambert

Science Policy Exchange, Harvard Forest, Harvard University

Kathy Fallon Lambert directs the Science Policy Exchange and the Science & Policy Integration Project at the Harvard Forest, Harvard University. The Science Policy Exchange is a consortium of six universities and research institution (including Syracuse University) working at the science-policy interface to enhance the influence of science on environmental decision-making. Previously, Kathy was the executive director of the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation (HBRF) where she helped develop the Science Links program to bridge the gap between long-term biogeochemical research and related public policy. Kathy has collaborated with Dr. Charles Driscoll, Syracuse University Professor of Environmental Systems Engineering, on three high-impact projects that link science with policy: Acid Rain Revisited, Mercury Matters, and Co-Benefits of Powerplant Carbon Standards. Kathy holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.F.S. from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She is a Switzer Fellow, Leopold Schepp Scholar and recipient of the U.S. EPA Environmental Merit Award.

Research & Technology Forum Series

Leveraging Operational Data for Competitive Advantage: How a Data Infrastructure Strategy Enables Smart Manufacturing

October 22, 2015

As advances in instrumentation, mobility, production processes, and networks make data more prevalent within manufacturing, the integration and modeling of information from across these varied sources is becoming a critical differentiator for improving process productivity, quality, asset reliability, EHS and energy performance. Although many technology providers have their own applications to access and store the related data, it is often only available to meet very specific and limited functional needs. When data is recognized as a critical asset and managed as part of an infrastructure, however, it can become a key enabler to help transform the entire operations. By making all process and production data available, and providing information in a context model based on functional needs, manufacturers can drive improved results against their critical business impacts. This presentation will introduce the concept of a data infrastructure and show how a related strategy can help deliver operational intelligence to enable real-time action and decisions, provide a common platform for analysis, and establish standardized KPIs to measure and evaluate ongoing performance.

Presenter:

Lance Fontaine

OSIsoft, Industry Principle, Metals and Mining

Knoxville, TN, USA

Lance Fountaine joined OSIsoft in October 2013 as an Industry Principal for the Metals and Mining industry following a 20 year career in the aluminum business with Alcoa Global Primary Metals.

In his last assignment before leaving Alcoa, Lance was accountable for the global development and deployment of common, best practice Manufacturing Applications, as well as the supporting computing infrastructure. The renewed focus and resulting strategy led to the adoption of a SMART Manufacturing program across the global enterprise. This program was based on the PI System as an information infrastructure to support efforts for continuous improvement, operational excellence and ongoing business sustainability.

After joining Alcoa as an electrical engineer in 1993, Lance held a number of positions within the company providing process control, manufacturing and IT services at the location, region and enterprise level. In addition to his technicalexperience, Lance has also led efforts to consolidate IT and OT functions into a common organizational model supporting the current convergence in computing technology.

Lance was a Presidential Scholar at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. He graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree Electrical Engineering in 1991 and returned to get his Masters of Science in Electrical Power in 1993 as a research associate for Niagara Mohawk.

Outside of work, Lance spends a majority of his time with his wife and two sons. He is very active in sports, and has also served as a coach for minor hockey, baseball and football in the Knoxville area. In addition to sports, Lance and his family also enjoy academics and traveling.

This forum will be moderated by SyracuseCoE Executive Director, Ed Bogucz.

Video:

Research & Technology Forum Series

Food Foolish: The Hidden Connection Between Food Waste, Hunger and Climate Change

September 28, 2015

Hunger, food security, climate emissions and water shortages are anything but foolish topics. The way we systematically waste food in the face of these challenges, however, is one of humankind’s unintended but most foolish practices. During his presentation, John Mandyck will explore the environmental and social opportunities that we can create by simply wasting less food, as highlighted in his recently released book Food Foolish. Real solutions to feeding the world and preserving its resources can be unlocked in the context of climate mitigation.

Speaker:

John Mandyck

Chief Sustainability Officer, UTC Building & Industrial Systems

During his presentation, John Mandyck serves as Chief Sustainability Officer for United Technologies Building & Industrial Systems, the world’s largest provider of technologies and services dedicated to making buildings and cities more energy efficient, safe and secure. With more than 100,000 employees and sales in nearly every country, UTC Building & Industrial Systems serves customers with innovative elevator, escalator, heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, fire safety and security solutions from well-known global brands such as Otis, Carrier, Kidde and Chubb. In addition to sustainability, he leads the company’s marketing and communications function.

A graduate of Syracuse University, John works with universities and organizations around the world to accelerate green building, such as the U.S. Green Building Council, which Carrier helped found and joined as the first member in 1993. John chairs the Corporate Advisory Board of the World Green Building Council, serves as chairman of the Board of Directors for the Urban Green Council in New York City and is a member of the Corporate Council for the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard University. He was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Energy to co-chair the Department of Energy’s Appliance Standards and Rulemaking Federal Advisory Committee. He has presented energy efficiency, sustainability and future of food strategies to audiences around the world.

Research & Technology Forum Series

Translating University Research to the Marketplace

September 15, 2015

Successfully launching a new startup company is extremely difficult. Trying to do so by means of technology developed within a university research lab is even more challenging. While more than half of U.S. basic research is conducted at universities, very little is ever effectively translated into the market. In his presentation, Doug Buerkle, will discuss the unique challenges associated with commercializing university technology and discuss ways which communities can work more effectively to overcome existing hurdles. The presentation will conclude with a brief overview of NEXUS-NY, a seed accelerator chartered with catalyzing the commercialization of clean energy technologies discovered by New York researchers. http://nexus-ny.org

Presented by:

Doug Buerkle
Founding Executive Director, NEXUS-NY

Optimizing Dynamic Thrust: What Would Nature Do?

September 8, 2015

The biomimetic approach seeks to incorporate designs based on biological organisms into engineered technologies. Biomimetics can be used to engineer machines that emulate the performance of organisms, particularly in instances where the organism’s performance exceeds current mechanical technology or provides new directions to solve existing problems. In this R&T forum, our speakers will explore how nature addresses propulsion in air and water and how those insights can be used to improve technological performance.

Presentations:

Characterizing the Three Dimensional Flow Around a Bio-inspired Fin
Dr. Melissa Green, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Aerodynamics and Propulsion and Fluid Mechanics, Syracuse University

Thrust Production Using Flapping Wings
Dr. Douglas Bohl, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Clarkson University

Humpback Whale Tubercles and the Development of Innovative Biomimetic Designs
Dr. Frank Fish, Professor, Department of Biology, West Chester University

https://youtu.be/VnY6_Fu1Z58

NYSERDA PON 2606 Advanced Buildings Program

August 4, 2015

The presentation will outline the solicitation, as well as the proposal submission, award and contracting process. PON 2606 seeks proposals for development and demonstration activities that advance the energy performance of both new and existing buildings in the residential, multi-family or commercial sector. Technology areas of interest include, but are not limited to: construction materials, strategies and practices; HVAC and lighting technologies, automation technologies enabling load flexibility and smarter background operations; and building integrated renewable energy systems. Energy improvements in buildings can also result from activities that do not involve development of new products or construction methods; improvements can result from new policies, regulations or assessments. NYSERDA also seeks proposals for activities to remove inadvertent barriers that hinder the wider use of promising technologies.

Indoor Air Quality Challenges in Space Vehicles and on Earth

July 21, 2015

IAQ in Space Habitat: The Ultimate Challenge
R. Vijayakumar, PhD, Consultant in Chief, AERFIL

Extra terrestrial manned exploration poses many immense challenges and opportunities. Key among them will to maintain acceptable indoor air and environmental quality. Although no specific mission has been scheduled, NASA and others are working on several solutions to these problems. In this presentation, the author will present a brief on the challenges in designing systems for space IAQ, and specifically discuss the technology he has been developing for NASA.

Filtering Air Filters: Development of an Improved Method for Testing the Performance of Filter Media that Remove Gases from Indoor Air
Chuan He, PhD Candidate, Building Energy Environmental System Laboratory (BEESL), Syracuse University

Predicting the actual performance of filter media commonly used to remove gases in air cleaners is challenging due to low concentrations of contaminants that are typically found in indoor environments. The procedure specified in ASHRAE Standard 145.1 addresses these challenges by conducting tests of filter media at elevated gas concentrations. This approach is useful for comparing the performance of different media, but it cannot directly represent the performance of air cleaners in typical indoor environments. A new method was developed to determine filter media performance under low concentrations. Results show that the new test method can dramatically reduce test times and the approach can be applied to predict the media performance in real-life applications with sufficient accuracy.

The Human Centered Approach to Buildings with The WELL Building Standard®

June 16, 2015

Our built environment can shape our habits and choices, regulate our sleep-wake cycle, drive us toward healthy and unhealthy choices, and passively influence our health through the quality of our surroundings. The WELL Building Standard provides the opportunity to design and build with a human-centered approach, which ultimately supports the industry in comprehensively addressing human health.

Learn what happens once a project is registered to pursue WELL Certification, how the on-site WELL Commissioning works, and why recertification is important.

Speakers:

Nathan Stodola, Vice President, International WELL Building Standard

Environmentally Responsive Architecture through Interactive Design, Prototyping and Simulation

May 12, 2015

Presenters:

Bess Krietemeyer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Syracuse School of Architecture, Interactive Simulations for High-Performance Building Design
Brandon Andow, Ph.D. Candidate, RPI Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE), Materials Research and Simulation of Graphene Oxide Thin-Films for Next-generation Multi-functional Dynamic Façades
Amber Bartosh, R.A., LEED AP BD+C, Assistant Professor, Syracuse School of Architecture, Mediated Environments: Integrated and Immersive Media in Architecture Design, Representation, and Constructed Prototypes

Idea to Acquisition – Aaron Crumm

April 27, 2015

Dr. Crumm’s PhD work at the University of Michigan led to the founding of Adaptive Materials Inc. (AMI). AMI grew to become an alternative energy market leader and after attracting more than $50 million in contracts was acquired by Ultra Electronics Inc.. Crumm’s simple, yet radical, business proposition was to develop a portable solid oxide fuel cell system that ran off of readily available fuel. Prior to founding Adaptive Materials, Crumm gained insight into electric power generation as a nuclear engineer. He earned his bachelor of science degree in nuclear engineering from Purdue University and a PhD in material science from the University of Michigan. Crumm is a highly regarded and respected speaker at many alternative energy symposiums and fuel cell conferences, is an advisor at Augment Ventures and Entrepreneur in Residence with the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship.

Speaker:

Dr. Aaron Crumm – Founder, Adaptive Materials Inc.

Frontiers in Environmental Health Analysis and Practice

March 30, 2015

Designating hazard is an essential component of chemical alternatives assessment, a process which can lead to increased safety and sustainability of consumer products used in our homes and offices. Performing rigorous hazard analysis requires the evaluation of physical/chemical properties, environmental fate, and ecological and mammalian toxicity endpoints. However, the availability of relevant and high quality experimental data for the chemicals under consideration is the exception rather than the rule. Methodologies for addressing existing data gaps for hazard assessments often include the use of estimation methods such as Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSARs), analogue approaches and read across, either used alone or in combination. Through the use of recent case studies, this presentation will focus on tools developed and/or implemented by SRC, Inc. to identify safer chemicals for consumer products, inform the decision-making process, and educate stakeholders.

Speakers:

Dr. Jay Tunkel, Sr. Scientist and Principal Investigator from SRC’s Environmental Health Analysis (EHA) group. Dr.

Russell Pellegrino Jr., Technical Director of Centek Laboratories

ARPA-E Summit and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

February 23, 2015

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has hosted the Energy Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C., for the past six years to bring together the very best minds in business, academia, and government to advance cutting-edge technologies that could fundamentally change the way we generate, use, and store energy. Having just returned from the Summit this month, R&T forum speakers will discuss SyracuseCoE’s engagement at the conference including a recap of how energy industry experts, thought leaders and decision makers are thinking about America’s energy challenges and how to move these innovations out of the lab and into the market. Additionally, Tim LaBreche will share highlights of a recent visit to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Speakers:
Chetna Chianese, SyracuseCoE Research Fellow
Tim LaBreche, SyracuseCoE Associate Director for Technology Commercialization
Ryan Falkenstein-Smith, Research Assistants, Syracuse University Combustion and Energy Research Lab
James Shomar, Founder and CEO, Solstice Power

Innovative HVAC Solutions To Preserve Michelangelo’s Frescoes

December 16, 2014

Professor Godlewski examined the socio-political context of these groundbreaking pieces of art and architecture during the Renaissance and their renewed importance today. Bill Chadwick discussed Carrier Corporation’s recently completed innovative heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) solution for the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. The new system will help preserve Michelangelo’s masterpieces against deterioration caused by the increasing numbers of visitors.

Speakers:
Joseph Godlewski: Assistant Professor, Syracuse University School of Architecture
Bill Chadwick: PE, CEM, LEED BD+C, Sr. Building Systems Engineer for United Technologies Corp., Building & Industrial System

Stormwater Management

November 18, 2014

Research projects and opportunities related to stormwater management in Onondaga County.

Prof. David Chandler – Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science Professor Dave Chandler will present ongoing research on the green infrastructure installation along East Washington Street;

Michael Lasell, PE, LEED AP BD+C – O’Brien & Gere Project Associate Mike Lasell will address the stormwater management plan developed for the SyracuseCoE Intermodal Transportation Center, soon under construction;

Khristopher Dodson – Assoc. Director, of the Center for Sustainable Community Solutions. Khris Dodson will offer an update on the Onondaga County Save the Rain green infrastructure projects, including a discussion of project goals and expectations.

Student Teams Win Competitions for Environmental Innovation

September 16, 2014

Research & Technology Forum, focused on the work of two prize-winning student teams!

Presentations by:

Montage Builders Northern Forest – a team of SUNY ESF, Onondaga Community College and Syracuse University students who won the Grand Prize in the national Challenge Home Student Design Competition, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Homebuilders Association.
Syracuse University “Orange Goes Green” team, which won First Place in the NYS Pollution Prevention Institute’s (NYSP2I) R&D Student Competition with “Green Heating: Reduce Overheating and Pollution on Campus,” a project designed to reduce waste heat in SU buildings. Team members are affiliated with the Syracuse University Industrial Assessment Center, based at the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The session will be moderated by Todd Moss, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship & Sustainability, and Faculty Director, Sustainable Enterprise Partnership, Department of Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises, Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University.

Laboratory and Field Testing of Domestic Hot Water Systems

June 17, 2014

Speaker:

Moderator and speaker – Hugh Henderson, CDH Energy, DHW systems Field and Lab Results

Pete Skinner, E2G Solar, Solar DHW systems

Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Systems are the second largest energy user in NYS homes. While furnaces and boiler have become much more efficient, water heaters still have relatively poor efficiency (50-60% for gas water heaters). Federal standards to rate water heaters are several decades old and are based on usage patterns that might not apply in today’s homes.

Several high efficiency water heating options are now available — from solar thermal systems and heat pumps to gas-fired tankless units and condensing storage units. Changes to the federal rating standards are also underway that will use more realistic usage patterns and change the relative performance of these different options.

This NYSERDA funded study at the SyracuseCoE is using side-by-side laboratory testing along with real-world field measurements to understand and climatic factors and usage patterns that affect the performance of these systems. The goal is to help consumers and contractors in New York State understand the best water heating options for homes.

Our discussion will include two presentations and a tour of the SyracuseCoE DHW Laboratory.

Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Heat Pumps

May 13, 2014

Speaker:

Moderator – Ian Shapiro, PE, LEED AP, Chairman, Taitem Engineering, Ithaca, NY
Caren Ruben, PE LEED AP, Mechanical Engineer, Labella Associates, Ithaca, NY
Jason Gilbert, PE, Mechanical Engineer, Binghamton University

VRF is an HVAC technology that is sweeping the world. Already the most common form of heating and cooling outside the U.S., VRF heat pumps are seeing widespread adoption for both new construction and retrofits in the U.S.

Our discussion will include presentations from three different perspectives: a design engineer, an energy engineer, and an owner’s representative.

Interactions of Jet Flows: From Subway Ventilation to Personal Ventilation

March 18, 2014

Interactions of Jet Flows: From Subway Ventilation to Personal Ventilation.

Guest speakers include:

Wang (Amy) Lihui, Ph.D., Institute of AV&AC Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
Joe Kummer, Ph.D., President, Propulsive Wing and Principal Scientist, Allred & Assoc.
Meng Kong, Ph.D. Candidate, Syracuse University

The session will be moderated by Dr. Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang, Professor and Director of the Building Energy and Environmental Systems Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University.

The R&T forum series is brought to you by the SyracuseCoE Partner Program.
For more information on joining the Partner Program, click here.

The Onondaga Brine Aquifer

July 11, 2013

Research and Technology Forum

The Onondaga Brine Aquifer

Moderated by:
Doug Call, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University

William Kappel, Hydrologist, USGS
Michael Madigan, Technical Director, O’Brien & Gere
Sam Cosamano, President, IPD Engineering
Dr. Younggy Kim, Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University

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Indoor Environmental Quality

June 13, 2013

Moderated by:
Eric Adams, Manager of Indoor Air Quality, Carrier Corporation

Lawrence Wetzel, Chairman, Air Innovations, Inc.

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Optimizing Energy Efficiency In Industral Setting

April 9, 2013

Optimizing Energy Efficiency in Industrial Setting

Moderated by:
Patrick Jackson, Director of Global Energy, Corning Incorporated

Michael McCormick, P.E., C.E.M., Energy Services Manager, Burrows Paper Corporation
Scott Ryan, Operations Manager-Global Energy, Corning Incorporated
John Lawyer, Vice President, MACNY

Michael McCormick, P.E., C.E.M., Energy Services Manager, Burrows Paper Corporation

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Advanced Manufacturing: Thermal and Environmental Control Systems

March 19, 2013

Advanced Manufacturing: Thermal and Environmental Controls

Moderated by:
Ed Bogucz, Executive Director, SyracuseCoE

Ed Bogucz, Executive Director, SyracuseCoE
Jim Cullen, Program Manager, BITZER Scroll
Joe Langlois, Product Manager, Hydronic Systems

Ed Bogucz, Executive Director, SyracuseCoE

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The Emerging Science and Application of Biomimicry

February 12, 2013

Emerging Science and Application of Biomimicry

Moderated by:
Professor Don Carr, Syracuse University, Industrial Design

Manager Miriam Pye, NYSERDA Senior Project
David Altoff, Syracuse University Professors, Chemistry
Matthew Maye, Syracuse University Professors, Biology

Professor Don Carr, Syracuse University, Industrial Design
Manager Miriam Pye, NYSERDA Senior Project

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