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  1. Strategic Instructional Improvement Program (SIIP) pre-proposal

    Associated Project(s): 
    CEE Project Based Learning (PBL)

    The primary objective of this project-based learning course is to develop critical thinking and engineering problem solving skills by identifying and proposing solutions to current civil and/or environmental engineering problems facing the University of Illinois campus community. The class also includes several site visits to local engineering infrastructure facilities and multiple discussion driven case studies, which expose and deepen students understanding of current engineering facility operations and challenges. Additionally, students will understand more intimately what civil and environmental engineers do as well as the various fields of specialization and prepare them for opportunities for summer internships. Through working on a team project, reviewing other team projects, and receiving feedback from the course instructors, students will also develop necessary professional skills such as communication (written and oral) and project management. The course is primarily for sophomores and junior transfer students with a focus of engaging them into the broad spectra of challenges and contemporary issues in civil and environmental engineering, especially with regard to sustainability, design, and multi-disciplinary teamwork.

  2. message from Jack Dempsey

    Associated Project(s): 
    CEE Project Based Learning (PBL)

    _____________________________________________
    From: Dempsey, John Garrett
    Sent: Friday, February 14, 2014 11:01 AM
    To: Roesler, Jeffery Raphael; Mestre, Jose; Johnston, Morgan B; Schideman, Lance Charles; Schmidt, Arthur R; Liu, Liang Y; Somaratna, Jeevaka I
    Cc: Stratman, Allan; Andrechak, Michael J; Wise, Phyllis M; Adesida, Ilesanmi
    Subject: RE: CEE398

    I want to thank each of you for allowing me to be part of the first offering of CEE398. I have learned so much from each of you and developed an real appreciation for the work faculty do. I only wish I had made the connection between F&S and the academy earlier.

    Jeff’s presentation yesterday about the second offering this fall and the discussion surrounding it demonstrated just how far he has brought the concept in such a short time. There is no doubt that with Liang’s leadership, Jeff’s hard work, Al’s support and Morgan’s involvement this CEE initiative will continue to blossom. In fact, during a conversation with Ben McCall yesterday, it appears that what you have done is directly translatable to a course being developed by Prof. Madhu Khanna for iSEE. I have asked Morgan to introduce her to the team when appropriate.

    As my time here is short, I need to focus on some remaining projects so I will not be attending the bi-weekly course planning meeting, but leave you in Morgan’s capable hands.  Again, thanks for letting me be a part of this.

  3. Memorial Stadium project funded by RLF

    Associated Project(s): 
    Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)

    Revolving Loan Fund Selection Committee,

    Thank you to all who participated in the special vote. We received a majority vote of four “yes” responses, so the project is accepted. Our Business Office will get the MOU written and we will move forward with the work very soon. The terms of the loan will be outlined in the MOU and will be in accordance with the signed agreement dated 12/03/2015.

    Again, thank you to all who participated and we’ll be in contact with you very soon regarding the next selection meeting.

    Josh Whitson

  7. Update from Robby Bauer

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Dashboard Project

    Robby Bauer and Morgan Johnston reviewed the status of the real-time energy meter installations, funded by the SSC and campus.  The original plan was to install real-time electric, steam, and chiled water meters in the Housing facilities in support of the Campus Conservation Nationals.  The electric meters are all installed, but we are recommending that the steam and chilled water meters be put on hold indefinitely in favor of installing electric meters in additional buildings.

  9. Fall 2013 Class Schedules

    Associated Project(s): 
    Mechanics Classes at the Campus Bike Center

    In Fall of 2013, the follow classes were offered at the Campus Bicycle Shop.

    All classes are open to students, staff, faculty and the general public. Unless otherwise noted, classes are at 7pm on the date indicated, at the Campus Bicycle Shop, 608 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Champaign.

    Bicycles, parts, and tools will be provided for the duration of each class, and no previous experience is needed. 

    Tires, Tubes, and Rim Strips

    • October 9, 2013, 7pm $10.
    • Repairing a flat tire can range from an easy 5 minute job to an hour of hard labor. In this class we will go over each part of what makes up a rolling tire, and how to fix it.
       

    Smooth Shifting

    • October 16, 2013, 7pm $20.
    • This will be a 2-hour class on shifters and derailleurs. We will cover the types of shifters, the derailleurs they actuate, and how to adjust them.

    Choosing the Right Bike

    • Friday, October 25, 2013, 10-11am, ARC Multi-purpose Room 7. FREE.
    • As part of Sustainability Week 2013, the Campus Bicycle Shop is offering a free class on choosing the right bike. This class will cover bike styles, sizing, the difference tire sizes make, and will touch on how frame geometry affects ride quality. The class will help new and existing cyclists understand what bike to purchase, how to go about selecting the right bike, and when to ask for help. **NOTE DATE & LOCATION HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOR THIS CLASS.

    Brake Check

    • October 30, 2013, 7pm $10.
    • In this class we will cover basic brake maintenance and how to adjust commonly used brakes.
       

    Winterize your Bike

    • November 13, 2013, 7pm $10.
    • This class will show students how to prepare their bike for winter, both for safe riding in winter weather and how to protect your bike from the elements while it's stored outside.
       

    Put a Bow on it

    • December 11, 2013, 7pm $10.
    • This class will cover the ins-and-outs of packaging a bike for shipment by postal carrier.

  11. idea to shift funds to educational signs

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water Fountain Retrofit
    Reduce Single-Use Plastics

    Morgan,

    I was telling Nishant about plans to return $5,000.00 to the SSC. He said wait, you should consider putting signs by the fountains reading something to the effect of "this bottle filler was funded by the student sustainability committee". I know this is something David really wanted before. What do you think about that? Would it fit into the budget, comply with codes for putting up signs, etc.

    Amy Liu

  12. Meeting with iSEE, IBI, and F&S

    Associated Project(s): 
    Illinois Biodiesel Initiative (IBI)

    Ben McCall, Adam Dornford, and Craig Grant met today to discuss the IBI needs.  Ben wrote this summary, after the meeting:

    1. It would be really nice if we could get IBI back into the ISTC space, at least in the short term.  I will engage them in discussions.
    2. As a "lean" short-to-medium-term option, we could divide the project into three pieces: first, a covered, caged area with secondary containment for the storage of 55-gallon drums of methanol; second, a double-wall above-ground storage tank for the biodiesel; and third, some sort of trailer/truck that would contain the reactor and ancillary equipment.  Each of these would need to be 30 feet away from each other for fire code compliance.  The code requirements for the "trailer" are TBD, but the smaller the quantities of methanol and biodiesel in there at any given time, the easier the compliance would be.  If the trailer is within 1000 feet of a bathroom that can be accessed by people in the trailer, it would not need to have its own bathroom.  We discussed the possibility of trying to go water-less and electrically self-contained.
    3. In the medium-to-long term, it might be preferable to build a dedicated building along the lines of the Variety Crop Trials building, although smaller.  The cost might be a couple hundred thousand or so.

    I think the students will probably investigate the options in more detail now, and we may come back to you with some more detailed questions as we converge on things.
     

     

  15. Zero Waste Basketball Game!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste Gameday Challenge Spring 2014
    RecycleMania

    DIA, SSC, iSEE, F&S, and SECS are collaborating to facilitate the University's first Recyclemania event.  On February 26th in the State Farm Center, as the Illini battle the Nebraska Cornhuskers, waste conscious volunteers will be competing against other institutions to recycle as much as possible.  After the game all landfill material and recycled material will be weighed to calculate a diversion rate.  The results will be posted on the Recyclemania website.  If you would like to volunteer for this event please email Bart Bartels at bbartel@illinois.edu.

  16. E-waste Collection Day!

    Associated Project(s): 
    RecycleMania
    Address Electronic Waste (e-waste)

    University Housing and Facilities & Services are collaborating to facilitate an e-waste collection day as part of Recyclemania, a national competition to change behavior and reduce waste.  The event is tentatively scheduled for March 18th.  All electronics will be accepted free of charge.  Locations and hours of operation will be announced in the next couple weeks.  To volunteer please email Bart Bartels at bbartel@illinois.edu.

     

  17. News about Library winning

    Associated Project(s): 
    Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP)

    Libraries Win Energy Awards

    Jan 23, 2014

    The Energy Conservation Incentive Program (ECIP) at Illinois awards building upgrades on campus in facilities which have produced top energy conservation results. Each year eight campus buildings receive ECIP awards in two separate categories. Those selected have demonstrated the greatest percentage of energy conservation over a one-year period.

    In 2013, three of eight awards went to Urbana campus libraries. The Undergraduate Library won 1st Place in the Occupant Action category; in the Energy Advancement category, the Main Library took 3rd Place while the Grainger Engineering Library took 4th Place. These libraries will work with the Utilities & Energy Services Division within Facilities & Services at the University to implement upgrades to their appearance or functionality.

    The Energy Advancement category is for campus buildings whose energy reduction is the result of central funding from a significant energy conservation project. The Occupant Action category is for those buildings which have not benefited from such projects in the last fiscal year.

    To learn more about the ECIP, please visit go.illinois.edu/ecip.

    (from Library News at http://www.library.illinois.edu/news/ECIP2013.html)

  18. Call for students!!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Green Observer

    From: inertia13@frontier.com [mailto:inertia13@frontier.com]
    Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2014 1:10 PM
    Subject: Opportunity for student involvement - Green Observer Magazine

    Dear Professors and Esteemed Others, 

    Good afternoon! Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Olivia Harris, and I am a junior studying Agricultural and Environmental Communications here at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

    I am writing to you today to share an opportunity for your students. The Green Observer Magazine, a student-run environmental publication affiliated with the University YMCA, is searching for students passionate about environmental issues who want to improve their writing, public relations, or advocacy skills. The Green Observer is published by students for students. The mission of the Green Observer is two-fold: 1) To inform students of campus environmental news so that they may better participate in research or advocacy, and 2) To provide students with a platform to practice reporting, writing, editing, drawing, advertising, social media management, design, and journalistic advocacy in a real newsroom environment.  

    This semester, we are reaching out the University faculty to help us spread the word about our publication. We rely on your dedication to augment students' classroom learning by encouraging participation beyond classroom experience. 

    There are many ways you can partner with the Green Observer to further our missions. First, simply read us. The Green Observer is published twice a semester in print (at new stands around campus) and on our website . We'd love to hear your feedback - constructive criticism and stories ideas are always welcome. Second, refer us to your students. You know who your brightest stars are in the classroom, ask them if they've thought about environmental writing. We welcome hard news stories, features, issue stories, opinion columns, poetry, or blog posts about research. Anything goes as long as it is focused on a local environmental issue or highlights events and research on campus. Did you just assign a paper or creative writing assignment? See if anyone would like to submit it for publishing. I first heard about the Green Observer from an atmospheric science professor my freshman year, and the rest is history. 

    Because of the size and diversity this campus, we cannot hope to contact all the students who may be interested in the magazine on our own. Thank you for your assistance in making the Green Observer a successful organization. As one last favor, please forward this email to your colleagues who work with students who would be interested in the Green Observer. No email list is complete, and I don't want anyone to be left out.

    Please email me with any and all questions you may have about the Green Observer's mission, goals, stories, publishing opportunities, or ways you and your students can be involved in spreading the "green" word. Please also share my name and contact information with any students who wish to learn more about working with us. 

    Sincerely,

    Olivia Harris

    Green Observer Writer and Treasurer

    Email: oharris2@illinois.edu

    Phone: 309-706-9381

    ***Visit the Green Observer on Facebook or at our website.

     

  20. Potential to Participate

    Associated Project(s): 
    RecycleMania

    A couple options are being looked into as possible ways to compete in this year's Recyclemania Competition.  One option could be a zero-waste basketball game.  Another possibility would be to hold an e-waste collection event.  More information will be available in the near future.

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