Morgan White, Sarthak Prasad, and Quinn Connolly met with Mark Ginsberg, Paul Francsico, and Sterling Laylock to discuss HVAC projects. Below are notes from the meeting:

Techlink: Contaminant Flow Calculator and Intelligent HVAC

• Attended by - Sarthak Prasad, Morgan White, Sterling Laylock, Mark Ginsberg, Paul Francisco, and Quinn Connolly
• Introductions
  
  • Mark talked about the research
    
    • Partial differential equation
    • Solve issues using the software
• Sterling is going to facilitate the meeting
  
  • Intelligent HVAC systems patent from Mark Ginsberg
  • License the patent
  • So people can do more using that
  • Synergy with University of Illinois and RPC's ICRT
  • Campus as a Living Lab
• Morgan talked about the Safetraces project
  
  • Healthy environments for the users - during covid
  • SL connected with students
  • SL and Carl Tutt put together a funding application for SSC in collab with students
  • We don’t have a bucket of funding for these types of project
  • We would like to do another building on campus
    
    • Using the knowledge with Mark Ginsberg
  • The Building Envelope project for Transportation Building
    
    • This building is on the list of improvements
    • Blow-door tests
    • SSC project
• MW asked what kind of opportunities there might be using Mark's technology?
  
  • Asked SL to start first
    
    • There is going to be a follow up
    • SL is going to make a recommendation to the Governor's Office
    • Seems that the Governor's office don’t have all the information - so they are asking for it now
    • It will directly benefit the private companies
    • The SB253 and SB 261 - The California Environmental reporting updates starting soon
      
      • Marsh McClennan is working on this
    • London, Hong Kong, Singapore, and one more stock exchange
    • Marsh McClennan Company to make contact with us - to help with this Environment reporting
      
      • Can be a good collaboration opportunity
      • Use of the Techlink technology
    • This company's work will not only help California's State Environmental reporting, but also extend to Illinois'
  • Demonstrate the software on university buildings?
    
    • SL - There is a version
      
      • Is there an intelligent HVAC in the building
      • MG - EPA is building a simulator at some point
        
        • A building inside the building
    • MG - The patent takes several years to go through
      
      • It was awarded at the same time as Covid
      • It was filed when Anthrax issue
    • MG - Trying on campus-
      
      • The instruction is simple for students
      • One - Solution exist
        
        • Contaminated person going to hospital don’t cause superspreader event all the time…
      • Recommendations-
        
        • Replace the air filter frequently
        • Keep the fan on
      • Single family house - taking HVAC from Auto to on (fan) -
        
        • $18 per month investment
        • Researched some time ago
      • You don’t want somebody downwind of someone
      • Buildings where this technology can be easily deployed?
        
        • Transportation Building?
        • Classrooms -
    • How would someone do the assessment?
      
      • Are you getting enough air changes per hour?
      • Are you leaving the builidng's air/fan on when the building is occupied?
        
        • Turn it off after 6 pm or when everybody leaves
    • The calculation of the consequence is - Advanced UG or Early Grad student could do it
• SL - Licensing for the technology
  
  • Small business could use this technology - Phase 2?
  • Phase 1 -
    
    • Proof of business model?
• MG -
  
  • By U of I standard - everything is siting on soft money
  • Nation wide hunt for the tech transfer for his product, and perhaps monetize them
  • MG can keep SL informed but that is how he wants to go
    
    • Nation wide search himself or hire a specialist
    • Big candidate
      
      • Big HVAC companies
      • Architecture/Architecture Design companies
        
        • Benteley Software- company
  • The prospect of
    
    • What is considered a starter and non-starter
• There is not a direct benefit to MG?
  
  • We want to see if we can pay for MG
  • We don’t want to just do this for students to get some experience, we want to learn about the campus and campus buildings too…
• MG - in terms of monetizing, it is not dependent on if U of I could get some money in the door
• MW - Which type of buildings?
  
  • We have some students in Masters in Energy Planning
  • Leon Liebenberg
  • SSC funding - 1 year project
  • Energy efficiency and Air quality
  • We need to make sure that there is someone other than SP and MW advising the students
  • Campus side
    
    • Students/researchers - propose something they want to do
    • We want to know what would be helpful
• MG - He has been cooperating with some professors there
  
  • He will work with some professors who are here currently
  • Right verbiage
  • What I want vs what would fit in student's education
  • Ty Newell - Horizon House
  •  
• PF - IHSI might be a good connection also
  
  • Toni Jacobi or Craig Bradshaw
  • Craig Bradshaw is the head of ACRC
• MW - What we are trying to offer
  
  • We can help with if we are allowed to use a building for this project
  • Introducing people in faculty and researchers
• MW - Would you like to do a demonstration project on U of I campus?
  
  • Yes
  • He will talk to a few people and he will get back to us.
• We want to start with a small building - Atmospheric Building
• MG - we can work with some office spaces
  
  • Not classroom heavy spaces
  • Preferred - Office heavy spaces - some classrooms in the same building are fine
  • Noyes Lab - complicated
  • AITS building
  • Levis Center
  • Orchard Downs
  • North of Green street
  • Transportation Building
  • TBH or Mumford Hall
  • MEL
  • Maybe one of the PRI surveys
  • Formerly SEDAC building
• Not comfortable with locations with a lot of people at the same time
• Maybe get together with MG a couple of times a year to maybe tour these places
• MG - will send a summary email as well

• Circle back every two weeks?
  
  • SP will schedule the follow up meeting -
    
    • Next virtual and then following could be site visits
  • Maybe a site visit as well

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Things are picking up here and will likely only get busier as we are fully into August now. We’ve still got around 20 bikes available and a few more in the queue. B-a-Bs are similar numbers. We received some non-slip mats for under the repair stands, which I will install this week.


The numbers:
Sales: $471.65

Bikes (refurb): 1 for $160
Memberships: 4 for $120
Tires/tubes: 2 for $10

Jacob Benjamin

Campus Bike Center Coordinator

September is Champaign County Bike Month:

• Bike to Work Day is on Wednesday, September 10th, 7:00-10:00 am
• Light the Night is on Tuesday, September 16th, 4:00-7:00 pm

The C-U Bike Month Facebook page and cuBikeMonth.org will have announcements when BTWD registration opens later this month. The cuBikeMonth.org calendar already has several bike events listed for August through October.

iCAP Team recommendations are a vital part of our community engagement and public input procedures for campus sustainability.  Topical green teams with students, faculty, staff, and community members develop clear and specific recommendations for campus units to enact.  The recommendations are submitted to the iCAP Working Group chairs to route, according to the Formal Procedures.  The typical process includes four steps:

1) Submitted: iCAP Team submits the recommendation to the iWG chairs for review by the iCAP Working Group (iWG).

2) Transmitted: The iWG transmits their assessment of the recommendation to the applicable campus unit.

3) Approved: The unit that received the recommendation replies in the affirmative.

4) Successful: The recommendation has been implemented.

One focus area in FY26 will be to narrow, update, and execute a new CAM policy as an update to BF-11, "Recycling, Recycled Products Procurement, and Waste Reduction". The goal of the updated CAM policy will be to ensure that all paper purchased on campus (except for submitted and approved justifications) will need to be at a minimum 30% post-consumer recycled content.

All bikes collected through the abandoned bicycles project have been inventoried as of today, 218 bicycles were collected. This inventory will be shared with appropriate campus units, marking the completion of Phase 3 of the project. If you believe your bike may have been impounded reach out to bike@illinois.edu with detailed information about your bike, including where you left it.

On 7/28/25, members of the Bird Strike student group, advisors, and sustainability staff met to discuss the next steps for improving bird safety on campus. 

Invitees included: Sheri Glowinski, Sarthak Prasad, Benjamin Van Doren, Cheryl Bikcnell, Josh Whitson, Morgan White, Sarah Jacobson, Leilany Fuentez-Garcia, Wren Dulnev, Miriam Keep, Quinn Connolly, and Joy O'Keefe.

After the meeting, Quinn sent the following message to the members and advisors of the Bird Strike group:

Thank you all for meeting with us yesterday. The next steps are for the student group to select the building and scope of windows that should be included for a cost estimate.

Once your goals have been set and the scope of work is determined, please let Morgan and I know. We will let you know what funding is needed to get a construction cost estimate that you can include in the SSC funding request in the fall.

The proposed project for a solar array at the Speech and Hearing building was deemed canceled due to the design study which found the roof unable to hold the solar array, as well as an informal shade assessment which found that the panels would not get all day sun due to the existing buildings.

Please see below a conversation between Morgan White, Jen Frattergio, and Paul Foote regarding this project:

On January 26, 2024 Paul said:

----------------------------------------------

Hello Jen,

I hope you are having an enjoyable Friday!

I have a quick question, Marth, Aman and I did a quick assessment of the Speech and Hearing bldg. for rooftop solar array and found it to be a poor source for solar insolation due to the Psychology bldg.. shadowing over it for the morning hours and

then there are some trees that block summer sun to the north and west as well.

We are tasked with submitting an IL Green Fund (SSC) application for this project and I am wondering if there is a reason this location was chosen and/or can we select another location that may produce higher outputs from the sola array?

Here is the charge language: Develop and submit an application to IL Green Fund (SSC) for rooftop Solar on Speech and Hearing Sciences Building in collaboration with stakeholders.

----------------------------------------------------

Jen forwarded the inquiry to Morgan White and Stacey DeLorenzo:

--------------------------------------

Hi Morgan and Stacey,

See below for a question from Paul and the Energy Team.

Morgan, you had suggested the team apply for funding from the IL Green Fund (SSC) for rooftop solar on the Speech and Hearing Sciences Building. What was the reasoning behind this recommendation? Is a tool used or an analysis done to identify suitable buildings for installations?

-----------------------------------

Morgan replied:

Hi Jen,

Just to close the loop on this old question from 1.5 years ago…  There was an analysis of large roofs that could potentially be retrofitted with solar.  Many of the large roofs are made with gypsum board which is not strong enough for panels, and the remainder would require a structural analysis.  Someone said the Speech and Hearing Sciences Building was retrofitted with a different lower-weight type of insulation which should make it viable to handle the weight of solar panels.  We did an in-house assessment with F&S Design Services, and it was found that the roof could hold the weight of the panels.  Then the Student Sustainability Committee funded a full design, which was completed and is on the iCAP Portal / in F&S records.  The iCAP Energy Team pointed out that the new high-rises around the facility block a lot of the sunlight, so the project was essentially cancelled.  I think it would still be helpful to do a shade study for the building, and potentially it could have a green roof on it.  It is very visible from the Hub (one of the highrises nearby), so it could be a visible sign of our climate action.

July 2025 photos of the Florida Orchard Prairie have been added to the box folder.