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TOP NINE SENIOR THESES
The following seniors garnered top honors in their class when they presented their senior projects to a jury of industry professionals at the Nittany Lion Inn on April 20, 2001.

John J. Hannum's thesis focused on the Family Golf Super Center located in Englewood, CO.  The building’s main feature is the ice rinks for the Colorado Avalanche practice facility.  His thesis involved the application of thermal storage in the form of a brine solution to aid in the cooling of the ice rink floor.  In addition, he performed a computational fluid dynamics analysis on the air distribution in the ice rink.  His future plans include working with Reese Engineering in State College, PA, and obtaining his Master’s degree in either Architectural Engineering or Architecture.

Stephen Iski chose the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ, as the topic for his senior thesis. The project focused on the specialty lighting of the exterior and the three key interior spaces, including the magnificent 2,750-seat Prudential Hall.  The human experience with architecture and light’s ability to convey different moods were studied and incorporated into the theatre’s multiple functions. The owner’s wish to create “something special” was placed as the driving force behind the redesign of the lighting. The concept was to “express the architecture through the manipulation of light, creating a magical environment that is dynamic and versatile, and follows through on the architect's idea of a festive retreat to the common man.” Extensive computer modeling and animation were used throughout the final thesis presentation to help convey the feelings and ideas that were to be created by the lighting redesign.

Maureen Mahr's thesis project focused on the South Street Seaport Museum: Schermerhorn Row, located in New York City.   The South Street Seaport District contains the largest concentration of early 19th-century commercial buildings in NYC, and this museum will chronicle the social history of the Port of New York and its contribution to the commerce and culture of NYC.   Maureen’s thesis included a lighting design for the progression from the entrance to the building, throughout various lobby spaces, and finally ending at the entrance for the galleries.  She also examined the electrical system, glazing and daylighting throughout the lobbies, and performed an analysis of the interior skylight structure.  Maureen’s future plans include a summer internship with the Lighting Team of HLW International LLP, located in NYC, and returning to Penn State AE next fall to complete her M.A.E. degree.

Debra Pennington focused her senior thesis project on modeling the wind effects on the Applied Research  Center in Newport News, VA.  Using a computational fluid dynamics program, she was able to obtain a more accurate pressure distribution for this irregular shaped building.  She then compared the results of code approximations with the CFD analysis and found that the code approximations did not fully account for the shape of the building.  After graduating with a BAE/MAE, she plans to work for Haynes Whaley, a consulting structural engineering firm in Reston, VA.

Kathryn Lenahan’s thesis topic was entitled “Developing a Company Wide Client Management Program.”  Through literature reviews and surveys, major problems in the client-construction manager relationship were established, and fifteen programs were developed to address these issues.  The programs were then tested through case studies to establish the most effective ones for retaining clients, which included Goal Establishing Meetings, Senior Executive Visits, Client Coaching, Client Process Training, End of Project Team Meetings and Accessibility.

Joshua Gibson’s thesis examined the possibility of identifying submittal problems before construction.  Current submittal practices, complaints, and typical problem submittals were all examined.  A solution was developed consisting of a matrix aimed at revealing a project's potential for submittal problems.  The solution also provided projects with a series of pre-construction talking points designed to help in developing a team approach to the submittal process.  After graduation, Joshua will be working as a project engineer for Warfel Construction Company in Lancaster, PA.

Eric D’Cruz focused his senior thesis research on design-build preconstruction procedures.  His work established a model for the allocation of preconstruction responsibilities between the design-build team members, as well as developing a procedure for analyzing existing project preconstruction methods.  Future plans involve working with Hensel Phelps Construction.

Jeffrey Ford developed a new design for The Bunker, an 80,000-square-foot data center in Ohio, as his senior thesis project.  The new design involved studying the performance and cost of a central air-handling system located in a new basement area versus multiple environmental cooling units located in the critical load space.  This new concept incorporated structural and electrical design and integration.  After graduation, he will begin working at Encon, Inc., located in Kensington, MD.

A special note of thanks to all our friends and alumni who generously sponsored the cost of some of the student meals.  This is a great help to the Department in defraying the cost of the banquet and is greatly appreciated by the Department and the student recipients.

For further details contact Nancy Smith in the AE Department.