ASHRAE Winter Meeting trip provides educational and professional experiences for students
The 2007 American Society
of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
Winter Meeting was held January 27th – 31st in Dallas,
Texas, and Penn State AEs were well represented by a contingent
of 18 
ASHRAE
student branch members. Students had the opportunity to learn
from a wide range of programs presented by highly regarded professionals
and researchers about ventilation, indoor air quality, building
energy simulations, sustainable building design strategies,
and more.
The group also participated in student activities including the Student Breakfast Student Congress, and a variety of social events. All students attended the Student Breakfast to meet colleagues from other schools and to hear several speakers. Student branch president Patrick Murphy attended the Student Congress, which was the first chance student branches have had a forum to provide input into the ASHRAE student program. The meeting also provided students with a chance to learn about how other student chapters, universities, and AE departments operate. The Young Engineers in ASHRAE committee also hosted a social for new HVAC engineers and students to meet and share experiences.
The
world’s largest trade show, the International Air-Conditioning,
Heating, and Refrigerating Exposition, was held in conjunction
with the ASHRAE meeting. Nearly 2000 exhibitors set up display
booths showcasing their latest HVAC products for the nearly
60,000 HVAC&R professionals who attended the Expo. The event
was an excellent learning experience where students could see
HVAC equipment they are learning about in person and ask manufacturers
questions.
A highlight of the trip came
when current fifth-year AEs Justin
Bem, Kevin Kaufman,
and Jon Gridley were
reunited with 2006 graduates Jessica
Lucas, Dave Melfi,
and Yulien Wong who
made up Penn State’s two-time winning Student Design Competition
team. The students’ submissions in both the HVAC Selection
and HVAC Design Competitions won first place, beating out universities
from across the nation. All six students were honored at the
Plenary Session and again at the Student Breakfast where 
they
presented their winning design.
All 18 Penn State AE students in attendance made personal donations to the “Cleaner and Greener” Program promoted by ASHRAE to purchase pollutant emission credits to offset the environmental impact of participating in the conference.
The AE Department was also represented in Dallas by professors Bill Bahnfleth, Jim Freihaut, Jelena Srebric, and the recently retired Stan Mumma. The faculty gave a number of program presentations and also participated in technical, standards, and other committee meetings.
Funding for the trip was
provided by the University, the AE Department, College of Engineering,
and the generosity of other supporters of AE. Those interested
in helping to underwrite travel to the 2008 Winter Meeting in
New York City should contact Professor Bahnfleth at wbahnfleth@psu.edu.