Source: Julia Keen, 785-532-3575, jkeen@k-state.edu
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
K-STATE STUDENT ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING TEAM TAKES FIRST PLACE IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
MANHATTAN -- A team from Kansas State University's student chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers took first place in a recent international design competition sponsored by the society.
The first-place finish was in the system selection category of the competition. Teams had to select a heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system for a more than 127,000 square-foot facility in New York City. The building, a former delivery service distribution center, was to be renovated into a biotechnology research facility. Major design goals of the system had to include low life-cycle cost, low environmental impact, comfort and health, creative high performance green design, and synergy with architecture.
K-State's Julia Keen, assistant professor, and Fred Hasler, instructor, both of architectural engineering and construction science, were team coaches. The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers sponsors the competition to encourage undergraduate students to become involved in the profession of heating, ventilating and air conditioning, to apply their knowledge to practical design use, and to promote team work.
It's the third time a K-State team has participated in the competition. The team also had top five finishes in 2004 and 2005.
The K-State team, along with the other teams placing in the competition, will be recognized at the 2008 winter meeting of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers in New York City. The team's award includes $1,500, as well as transportation and lodging for one team member to attend the meeting.
Members of the K-State team, all architectural and engineering majors, included: Brendan Gleason, May 2007 bachelor's graduate in architectural engineering, Halstead; Brandon Damas, May 2007 bachelor's graduate in architectural engineering, Olathe; and Ben Willey, fifth-year senior, and Brandon Frey, fifth-year senior, both of Wichita.
From out of state: Jeremy Fowler, fifth year senior in architectural engineering, Silverthorne, Colo.; and Kevin Chow, fifth-year senior, Independence, Mo.