What’s New in Engineering

Recently I received a very special opportunity from the Sustainable Energy Fund for two individuals from Messiah College to attend the 2008 Solar Scholars Conference:

“SEF is extending a special invitation for up to two individuals from your school [Messiah College] to attend the upcoming 2008 Solar Scholars Conference.  SEF will pay for 100% of the conference costs, including training, text book and materials, lodging and food.   Attendees only have to pay for their personal transportation to/from the conference.”

The 2008 Solar Scholars Conference is a week-long conference which will be held at Dickinson College in Carlisle from July 27 to August 1, 2008. That’s only 2 weeks away! Since we just received word of this special opportunity, we’re scrambling to find a couple people willing to go. If you are a Messiah student and you would like to attend, contact me right away at sfrank@messiah.edu or 717-796-1800 x7225. (Priority is going to engineering students and/or students already working on energy related projects, but if we don’t get two of those students then the opportunity opens up to any Messiah student.)

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The Solar Scholars project team, working in conjunction with Dave Lupold and Brian Seip at Gannett Fleming, Inc., has recently submitted a permit application to Upper Allen Township for the installation of the Solar Scholars training facility. As the advisor to the project, I am excited to see months of hard work from our student team culminate in a set of very professional drawings (as required for the permit application).

For those who haven’t heard about Solar Scholars, here is a brief summary: the Solar Scholars project team is designing and installing a solar energy training facility at Messiah College. The facility will be used both to train engineering students in solar electric technologies and to educate our peers at Messiah, as well as the general public, about the possibilities for solar generated electricity. You can find a longer summary and more information on our Collaboratory wiki page.

Solar Scholars is just one project of several here at Messiah which demonstrate our commitment to the responsible use of the earth’s resources and proper stewardship of God’s creation. We want our facility to demonstrate those commitments in an active way, so we are approaching our facility’s small pavilion with the intent to make it earth-friendly. Towards that end we have enlisted the Messiah College Earthkeepers to help us find recycled or sustainable paving material for our walkway. (They have some leads, but nothing concrete yet.)

We also would like to use a green roof on the pavilion. “Green” as in living (yes, plants growing on the roof), not as in the color green. For one thing, it helps to minimize the footprint of the project in terms of loss of green space. Also, the green roof is an opportunity for the college as a whole to observe whether such a technology could be applied on a larger scale to future construction here.

For those (like me) who are intrigued by drawings and diagrams, stay tuned. Updated drawings of the project as well as a 3D rendering of the pavilion will be available in the coming weeks.

Have questions or comments about Solar Scholars? Post a comment or email us!