As part of the construction of the new Hydrosystems Laboratory, it has become possible to integrate energy piles into the construction. This represents an emerging chance to take the next steps toward geothermal energy on campus by installing energy foundation piles in a large campus building. This project focuses on installation of geothermal heat exchangers within the foundation of the new Hydrosystems Laboratory. Approximately half of the pre-existing building was removed and a larger segment is being built to replace the demolished half. The new portion will be supported by eight drilled shafts. The goal is two use four of these shafts to install energy piles to provide the heating and cooling to the Geotechnical Instructional Laboratory. Data collected during operation of the piles will be used to investigate their heat transfer processes, and the results will be compared with the experimental data and the numerical model will be validated for further use to design new buildings on campus and in the surrounding areas.

The importance of honey bees cannot be understated; they are responsible for pollinating 1/3 of the food supply in the USA, worthy $15B annually. Bees are experiencing steep population declines, and beekeepers nationwide fight against the 4 Ps: parasites, pesticides, pathogens, and poor nutrition to keep their colonies alive and healthy. The Bee Research Facility will use this funding to construct a Sustainable Auxiliary Building enabling expansion of a cutting-edge research system to study the 4 Ps in an unprecedented level of detail. Overwintering colonies indoors will increase colony survival and the sustainability of campus resources, and provide further research opportunities.

The ECEB is projected to achieve net-zero energy shortly, due to its super-efficient design, construction materials, and recently installed solar panels. In order to celebrate and educate about this achievement, a multi-disciplinary team from ECE, Facilities & Services, iSEE, Engineering AV IT, and the School of FAA is coming together to visualize, construct, program and operate a student-focused display about energy production, utilization, and conservation in the ECEB south lobby. Several thousand students pass through this lobby daily, as well as many campus visitors, including the 10,000+ that come during Engineering Open House. The display will engage students and visitors with a touchscreen and information kiosks, show in real time the energy produced by ECEB’s solar panels and solar farm allotment, and demonstrate the efficiencies of ECEB. With the installation of this display, the building will be able to obtain LEED Platinum certification.

“Hyperloop” is a proposed mass transportation method originally theorized by Elon Musk. The system involves a high-speed train, or “pod,” inside of a vacuum tube. In theory, a full-scale design could see pods traveling at up to 700 MPH, making it ideal for inter-city transportation normally taking up to six hours by car, and consuming very little energy. Illini Hyperloop is one of 21 competition teams accepted globally to build a pod for the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. Musk’s SpaceX has built a mile-long Hyperloop tube, which can support a near-vacuum. Student-led teams around the world have entered the competition to race their vehicle. Illini Hyperloop has made it into the competition, and hopes to successfully complete construction of their vehicle, ship it to California, and race it on the track. With many students driving or taking buses to and from campus, a Hyperloop could potentially provide quick, inexpensive, and sustainable public transportation, and link Champaign to cities such as Chicago or St. Louis.

To address the need for sustainability education on campus, this projects will digitize key portions of the ENVS 301 course hosted through Coursera. While the process of creating a full online course is intensive, this project will allow for a separate Intro to Sustainability Module to be available free of charge to all students.

Vision Zero is an international organization with the primary goal of promoting zero fatal and severe injury crashes in cities and communities. This is done by implementing practices which go beyond the traditional approaches to safety – by combing data-driven decision making with the incorporation of human error, community input, and implementing a “Safe Systems” approach. This project’s goal is to have zero traffic crashes at UIUC, making it a safer environment for students and staff. It is expected that traffic incidents will increase on campus due to the rise in bike ridership and construction. This project will investigate which Vision Zero principles could be implemented in order to prevent these dangers, resulting in a report that identifies the safety critical point in the transportation network that can be improved according to Vision Zero.

The Illinois Biodiesel Initiative (IBI) is a student-led organization that works to promote the development of renewable energy production at UIUC and to educate the campus community about the advantages of biodiesel. Their primary focus is the production of biodiesel and soap from a feedstock of used vegetable oil obtained from the University Dining Halls. In the past, biodiesel produced by IBI was utilized by University Garage and Carpool Services. With the addition of a glass-lined 400 gallon batch biodiesel reactor and relocation to the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory, IBI will be able to continue to do so. The funding from this project will be allow for the purchase of this reactor, which will enable IBI to increase its production capacity and recycle larger quantities of used vegetable oil.