News

Inficon Facility Tour

As part of the TEC Innovates Program, monthly factory tours engage suppliers and regional business partners throughout the region, allowing cluster firms to network and learn more about new industry developments. In November, AM-TEC firms and partners toured Inficon expansion facility, in East Syracuse, NY. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Switzerland, INFICON is a leading provider of innovative instrumentation, critical sensor technologies, and advanced process control software that enhance productivity and quality in sophisticated industrial vacuum processes. These analysis, measurement and control products are essential for gas leak detection in air conditioning/refrigeration, and automotive manufacturing. They are vital to equipment manufacturers and end-users in the complex fabrication of semiconductors and thin film coatings for optics, flat panel displays, solar cells and industrial vacuum coating applications. Other users of vacuum based processes include the life sciences, research, aerospace, packaging, heat treatment, laser cutting and many other industrial processes. Inficon leverages expertise in vacuum technology to provide unique, toxic chemical analysis products for emergency response, security, and environmental monitoring.
 
Inficon welcomed the AM-TEC group with a tour of the facility, including its new 64,000 sq. ft expansion with 20,000 sq. ft certified clean room space. The highly efficient and flexible design included state-of-the-art technology with an online Building Management System, Ultraclean process gas distribution, and automated Vertical Lift Module storage system.
 
Learn more about SyracuseCoE TEC Innovates and Factory Tours. Learn more about Inficon.

U.S. Policy Options to Decrease Emissions of Carbon Dioxide to Mitigate Changing Climate

Carbon dioxide is the dominant human-generated greenhouse gas responsible for changing climate. The two largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. are from electric utilities and transportation activities. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health, their emissions needed to be regulated. In 2009 through the Endangerment Finding, the EPA indeed found that climate change is a threat to public health. As a result of these decisions, the Obama Administration implemented new fuel economy standards for vehicles and proposed standards of carbon dioxide emissions from existing powerplants through the Clean Power Plan (CPP). These policies were a large part of the U.S. commitment to decrease carbon dioxide in the Paris Climate Agreement. The Trump Administration has not been supportive of these initiatives. But due to the Endangerments Finding, they cannot just cancel but need to replace these policies. The Trump plan to replace the fuel economy standards was released earlier in August and the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) plan was released a few weeks later to replace the CPP.
 
Professor Driscoll’s presentation examines the approaches, benefits and costs of ACE compared with the CPP and no policy options. Carbon dioxide emissions standards for U.S. power plants will influence the fuels and technologies used to generate electricity, alter emissions of pollutants, and influence ambient air quality and public and ecosystem health. ACE is an “Inside the fence line” approach which improves the heat rate efficiency of individual power plants. As a result, older coal plants are made more efficient and operate for longer periods resulting in increases in carbon dioxide and emissions of co-pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury and fine particulate matter which impact human health. In contrast, the CPP would use a “beyond the fenceline” flexible approach that promotes energy efficiency and renewables. Carbon standards to curb global climate change can also provide immediate local and regional health and ecosystem co-benefits, but the magnitude depends on the design of the standards. 
 

Presenter:

Charles Driscoll

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.
 
 
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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.

CHAMPS and Annex68 Meet Again at SyracuseCoE

Syracuse, NY –Leading researchers from around the world convened again at the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy (SyracuseCoE) to take part in a workshop and meeting on advanced building systems. The events examined the major challenges facing the combined heat, air, moisture and pollutant simulations for the design and operation of sustainable buildings, featured the most recent progress, and discovered opportunities for further collaboration.

The 15th International Forum and Workshop on Combined Heat, Air, Moisture and Pollutant Simulations (CHAMPS) included presentations by the international visitors and Syracuse University faculty and students. The 6th Expert Meeting of IEA-EBC Annex 68 Indoor Air Quality Design and Control in Low Energy Residential Buildings was held on the same day at SyracuseCoE. The two events had a joint public meeting, with topics at the forum including indoor environment quality models, energy performance research, healthy and intelligent buildings strategies and site planning around the effects of climate change.

Both events highlighted the importance of creating high-performance buildings that improve human health and performance while remaining sustainable and reducing building energy use. Research has indicated that people spend up to 80% of their time in indoor environments and 40% of building energy consumption goes to normal operations of heating, cooling and lighting. Industrialization has made it more critical than ever to develop sustainable buildings that boost human quality of life while reducing energy consumption.

15th Annual International Forum and Workshop on CHAMPS Organizers
Danish Technical University, Denmark
Dresden University of Technology, Germany
Nanjing University, China
Syracuse University, U.S.A.
University College of London, U.K.
University de la Rochelle, France
University of Tokyo, Japan

Aims and Scope
CHAMPS 2018 and IEA-EBC Annex-68 will have a joint public meeting in the afternoon of September 30, 2018 to discuss the major challenges facing the combined heat, air, moisture and pollutant simulations for the design and operation of sustainable buildings, highlight the most recent progresses, and identify opportunities for further collaboration. Topics may include:

1. Whole building IEQ and energy performance: Modeling and simulation of combined heat, air, moisture, and pollutant transport processes in and around buildings, and how these processes impact IEQ and building energy efficiency;
2. Healthy and intelligent buildings: Interaction and interdependencies between IEQ and energy efficiency measures, effectiveness of source reduction, ventilation and air cleaning strategies; model-based predictive control, application of internet of things (IOTs) technology in distributed building environmental control;
3. Climate, community and site planning: Climate change effects on IEQ, urban and community planning, micro-urban climate and energy efficiency of building clusters;
4. Building envelope performance: hygrothermal performance of buildings in different climates, leakage and moisture control, envelope-integrated ventilation and energy storage systems, energy and durability;
5. Micro-environment around occupants: demand-based personal environmental control, occupant behavior and impacts on IEQ and energy efficiency;
6. Design studio: Methods and tools for coordinated and integrated urban and building systems design, building information modeling (BIM), CHAMPS simulation framework, software, and optimization techniques, common databases of materials, assemblies, building topologies, climates, and real-world versus design performances.
7. Case studies: Applications of CHAMPS for building systems design and model-based predictive controls.

SyracuseCoE previously hosted the 13th International Forum and Workshop on CHAMPS in 2016. The city of Syracuse is a leader in the international community of indoor air quality and sustainable building technology. Previous events such as the 2018 International Building Physics Conference and upcoming expos like the Emerging Technology Showcase draw global experts and researchers to Syracuse.

Eight Student Presentations on Research and Innovation Projects Win Awards at Annual SyracuseCoE Student Poster Competition

Eight Student Presentations on Research and Innovation Projects Win Awards at Annual SyracuseCoE Student Poster Competition

There were eight winners of the 2018 SyracuseCoE Student Poster Competition. Thirty-four student posters from six institutions were judged on September 24 during the International Building Physics Conference (IBPC2018) co-hosted by SyracuseCoE and Syracuse University. Judges engaged poster contestants and posters were judged on project layout and design of posters, as well as student’s knowledge and ability to explain posters and answer questions from judges.

“These competitions put student’s hard work in the spotlight and gives them a valuable opportunity to present their research with a broad group of people,” said Ed Bogucz, SyracuseCoE executive director and associate professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Syracuse University. “We look forward to hosting the annual SyracuseCoE Student Poster Competition every year to applaud student’s success.”

Posters were judged in three categories: undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. winners:

Undergrad Winners:

1st Place: Andres Inga, SUNY Oswego, Physics, Characterization of Ferromagnetic and Ferroelectric Heterostructure; Faculty Advisor: Shireen Adenwalla

2nd Place: Jason Cho, Syracuse University, The Discovery of the Optimal Greenest Source of Urban Irrigation; Faculty Advisor: Charley Driscoll

3rd Place: Kyle Bautista, SUNY Oswego, Adolescent Education and Physics, Success in American Public Schools: Creative Building Strategies for Enhanced Education; Faculty Advisor: Carolina Ilie

Master’s Winners:

1st Place: Lucie Worthen, Syracuse University, Environmental Engineering, Validation of the PCSWMM LID Module for an Extensive Green Roof in Syracuse, NY; Faculty Advisor: Cliff Davidson

2nd Place: Stephanie Haller, Ehsan Sabaghian, and Rawad El Kontar, Syracuse University, Architecture, Community Energy: Technical and Social Challenges, and Integrative Solutions; Faculty Advisors: Jason Dedrick, Elizabeth Krietemeyer, Tarek Rakha

PhD Winners:

1st place: Shreyas Pathreeker, Syracuse University, Chemical Engineering, Using Visible Light to Develop Advanced Battery Electrodes; Faculty Advisor: Ian D. Hosein

2nd Place: Francielli Silva Genier, Syracuse University, Chemical Engineering, Solid Polymer Electrolyte Networks for Calcium Ion Conduction; Faculty Advisor: Ian D. Hosein

3rd Place: Leila Nikdel, Clarkson University, Environmental Science and Engineering, Comparison of Different Energy Savings Strategies in Residential Buildings; Faculty Advisor: Susan Powers

Poster judges included Daniel Betts, BeCool Inc; Bill Chadwick, United Technologies Corporation; Aimee Clinkhammer, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Bob DelZoppo, SRC Inc.; Michael Genovese, NYSERDA; Ben Larsen, King + King Architects; Chonghui Liu, CNY ASHRAE; Dave Martini, Air Innovations; Mary Reidy, National Grid; and Adam Walburger, CDH Energy.

International Building Physics Conference, IBPC2018 a success!

September, 2018 —  SyracuseCoE and Syracuse University hosted IBPC2018, the International Building Physics Conference. The tri-annual event had a broad reach and brought over 300 guests from 33 countries, but it was the enthusiasm of discussions for scientific discovery in building physics that made this event a success. We’d like to thank all of our sponsors for making IBPC2018 possible, as well as our accomplished speakers for presenting engaging and innovative material. Thank you to all participants for their valuable contributions!

Thank you as well to the IABP and our conference chairs, co-chairs, and technical committee for all their efforts and support in the organization and execution of the event.

We wish everyone the best with continuing research, and look forward to reconvening in Copenhagen, Denmark! In the meantime, please check out the IBPC2018 photo album to relive some of the best moments from the conference.

Read Building physics today and future challenges: learning from IBPC2018

Experts from 33 Countries Convene in Syracuse for the 7th International Building Physics Conference

Experts on the science and engineering of buildings and urban environments convened in Syracuse, NY September 23 to 26, for the 7th International Building Physics Conference (IBPC). More than 300 attendees from 33 countries gathered to present original research and findings, demonstrated and exhibited innovative green building technologies, and discussed future challenges and opportunities.

The theme of the conference was “Healthy, Intelligent, and Resilient Buildings and Urban Environments.” The conference program included six keynote presentations, more than 250 podium and poster presentations, workshops, networking, and more.

The conference takes place every three years as part of the official international conference series of the International Association of Building Physics (IABP). The IBPC2018 is the first time the conference is being held in the United States; previously, the conference was held in Eindhoven, The Netherlands (2000); Leuven, Belgium (2003); Montreal, Canada (2006); Istanbul, Turkey (2009); Kyoto, Japan (2012); and Torino, Italy (2015).

Read more here.