Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE) hosted its second annual Partners Day event on May 1, 2024. Designed to highlight current research and development priorities and strengthen ecosystem connections, this event was open to all members of the SyracuseCoE Partner Program.
Featuring presentations from faculty, staff, community members, and industry partners, the Partners Day program was moderated by SyracuseCoE Executive Director Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang and Industry Partners Council Chair Scott MacBain of Carrier Corporation.
Attendees also received information on upcoming funding opportunities, including:
- ARPA-H Building Resilient Environments for Air and Total Health (BREATHE) Program
- Carrier Ventures
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Field Demonstration Funding Programs:
- Connected Communities 2.0
- Solar Technologies’ Rapid Integration and Validation for Energy Systems (STRIVES)
- SuperTruck Charge
After presentations from Professor Jensen Zhang and Scott MacBain, Professor Ian Shapiro, SyracuseCoE Associate Director of Building Science and Community Programs, hosted a panel discussion titled “Making R&D Real: Communities’ Role in Innovation.” Panelists included Lisa Hart, Public Health Analyst and Grants Manager at Syracuse Housing Authority, and Sara Walton, Director of East Adams Redevelopment for the City of Syracuse.
The keynote speaker for Partners Day was William Bahnfleth, Ph.D., P.E., a professor and affiliate researcher in the Department of Architectural Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, as well as a Fellow/Presidential Member of ASHRAE. Professor Bahnfleth’s keynote addressed the new ASHRAE Standard 241-Control of Infectious Aerosols and its implications for industry. Bahnfleth chaired the ASHRAE committee that wrote this standard, as well as the ASHRAE Environmental Health Committee.
Partners Day ended with a tour of SyracuseCoE’s multiscale testbed and onsite labs, led by Dr. Lu Li and Dr. Tong Lin. Both are Post-Doctoral Researchers in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering based at SyracuseCoE. Afterward, attendees gathered for a reception in the lab wing. SyracuseCoE thanks all the Partner Program members who participated in this event, and extends our appreciation to the Central New York Chapter of ASHRAE, which cohosted the keynote and reception.