 |
 |
What is the Sustainability Research Facility (SRF)?
SRF is Cornell University Sustainable Design‘s (CUSD) current long-term project. CUSD:SRF, an official Cornell project team sponsored by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Department of Systems Engineering, is a multidisciplinary student-led team that aims to build a first-of-its-kind research facility on Cornell’s Ithaca Campus. As the team leader, I oversee over 100 undergraduate and graduate students across 11 subteams. You can learn more about the goals of the facility on our website.
The SRF is not simply a laboratory; the building itself will be a “living laboratory” with the ability to reconfigure and integrate new technologies as they are developed. A highly modular design will permit researchers to use the building as a test-bed for new insulation materials, photovoltaic arrays, geothermal systems, and much more. An extensible mesh network of sensor arrays and control points throughout the building will permit the isolation of variables for improved testing reliability and feedback, all while ensuring a comfortable environment for people utilizing the building’s facilities.
What is my Role?
As the team leader, I find myself constantly adapting to new roles that need to be filled. In short – I pull things together, ensure that the various technical subteams are communicating, and provide the interface between the students and university administrators. On the technical side of things, I lend my expertise in energy monitoring and control systems to the Sensors/Automation team on a regular basis, and I also consult with the architecture team to ensure their designs comply with engineering requirements of the project.
Coverage in the Cornell Daily Sun:
- 04/20/2011 – “Students Collaborate for Sustainable Design“
- 09/15/2011 – “Students Hope to Create Campus Building”
- 02/07/2012 – “CUSD Designs Building Prototype”