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Improving the Sustainability of the Freezer Room at the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory

Project Description

Refrigeration units are one of the primary consumers of energy used in the labs. The best practices related to the freezer challenge led to safer, more efficient ways of managing samples at our lab and to win the freezer challenge 3 times. However, despite staff and students' efforts, there is currently no appropriate temperature regulation at the bay, forcing the freezers/refrigerators to work/consume more electricity. Even worse, in summer, some equipment may fail/get damaged during extreme heat. With the funding provided by SSC, this project wants to improve the building for sustainable and efficient storage of research samples. Their goals are:  1. To convert a place with poor climate conditions (no A/C and temperature problems) to a more efficient room to reduce energy consumption and protect the equipment (extend the life of freezers). 2. To improve the laboratory infrastructure through direct heat removal to manage sample storage efficiently and sustainably. 3. To extend the life of our equipment by providing the appropriate environment. 4. And to make sure that the new energy-efficient equipment will last.  

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Funding Details

Student Campus Environment Fee (SCEF) - 303692
Fiscal Year Status Amount Date Operations
2023 Allocated $50,000.00 5/5/2023 Edit | Delete

SSC Basic Info

Year Started: 2023
Semester: Spring
Status: Active
Student Led? No
Project Category: Energy

SSC Project Team

Project Lead:

Evan W. London (elondon2@illinois.edu)

Financial Advisor:

Matt D. Thompson (matt1966@illinois.edu)

Project Advisor:

Nohra E. Mateus-Pinilla (nohram@illinois.edu)

Team Members:

  • Nelda A. Rivera
  • Eric Schauber
  • Shari Effert-Fanta

Project Award Letter

Illinois Green Fund - Student Sustainability Committee