The need for technicians with traditional skill sets as well as with experience in programming, networking, and systems integration knowledge is well-documented and technicians who can manage controls present an emerging and rapidly expanding market of high-wage employment for community college graduates. The lack of technicians qualified in building automation systems constitutes one of the greatest barriers to rapidly implementing energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reduction, and sustainability targets in commercial buildings. This project builds on previous efforts aimed at upgrading technician education to meet today's challenges for energy efficiency in buildings. Courses are being developed in the area of building automation and sustainability and a new associate's degree program will be offered in building automation, filling a critical gap in degree offerings. The project involves extensive collaboration with national ATE centers, with industry, and with four-year institutions. A Physics for Building Science and Sustainability high school summer program is being expanded and a teacher training component is being added through this project. Results from the project are being rigorously evaluated and disseminated on a national scale.

Project Report

Commercial buildings are responsible for 20% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, and this percentage is expected to increase in the next few decades as the sector expands. Under this project, Laney College spearheaded curriculum, lab development, and research efforts to prepare a building technician workforce with the complex skills and knowledge needed to become sustainability agents in new and existing commercial buildings. Building systems technicians are skilled technicians who install, operate, and maintain building systems, including mechanical and electrical, security, lighting, water, building automation, and energy management systems. Building systems technicians work on the frontline of the building operations and are key to the ability of owners to optimize building performance, contain operational costs, meet occupant needs for comfort, safety, and function and reduce the carbon footprint of buildings. Located in inner city Oakland, Laney is a minority-majority community college with a long history in advanced technology education. Partnering with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, UC Berkeley, and other research and educational institutions regionally and nationally, and working closely with industry, Laney has earned a reputation for spearheading state-of-the-art curriculum reflecting the developments of a rapidly evolving building industry. Below we summarize key outcomes of this second NSF ATE project (continued from DUE 0402696), highlighting its intellectual merit and broader impacts: Intellectual Merit: Advancement of Knowledge and Understanding; Integration of Research and Education: Program and Curriculum Development Two-year certificate and AS degree in Building Automation Systems completed, certificate and AS degree in Commercial Energy Management in development Problem-based learning scenarios developed, tested, and enhanced, including a template that can be used across courses; website developed and resources disseminated nationwide; instructor-workshops and regular peer support meetings held for Laney ECT instructors Research (in partnership with the Building Intelligence Group): Conducted original national research (focus groups, interviews, surveys) to map the gaps between building technicians’ capabilities and building system management requirements. Published and disseminated report: Current Situation and Trends in Buildings and Facility Operations Published four case studies on best practices in facility operations: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Adobe Headquarters, Smithsonian Institution, eBay Data Center Broader Impacts: Promotion of Teaching, Training, and Learning; Enhancement of Infrastructure for Research and Education; Broad Dissemination to Enhance Scientific Understanding; Broaden the Participation of Underrepresented Groups: STEM Pipeline Physics for Building Science summer program held every summer and continuously refined; program documentation developed; 98% of students are minority populations. Network of high-school teachers and green academy instructors developed, a series of workshops with high school instructors held; new Physics for Energy Science curriculum high school course developed, modeled after Laney’s Physics for Building Science, and articulated with Oakland Unified School District, benefitting primarily minority populations Professional Development National Network of HVAC Instructors developed: Database of 500 community college HVAC and building performance programs developed; online survey and needs assessment conducted Two-day faculty forum hosted at Laney in 2011 for 12 community colleges, focusing on HVAC and building performance Three-day national training hosted for re-tuning/retrocommissioning of commercial buildings, in collaboration with Pacific Northwest National Labs Three webinars for HVAC and building performance instructors held, with nationwide participation CA Community Colleges Energy Efficiency and HVAC Symposium held at Laney, 200 participants Prototype resource sharing website developed and launched, containing curriculum, instructional resources, interactive map of HVAC programs, job search feature, and a newsletter/blog feature (now called http://bestctr.org) Instruction Lab Facilities Multi-vendor building automation lab and commercial scale building automation control system completed, and continuously updated with current instrumentation New state-of-the-art teaching facility as living laboratory in planning and implementation stage, Articulation Articulation of Laney’s Commercial HVAC Systems and Building Automation Systems AS degrees with Pennsylvania College of Technology Industry partnerships DOE/EPA Labs21 partnership on high-tech facilities. Laney was designated a Labs 21 Center of Excellence for High Performance Building Operations and Maintenance Education and Training by the DOE/EPA Labs 21 partnership, and. co-chaired a national working group for curriculum development for high-tech facility operators. Partnership developed and strengthened with Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, industry partners, research partners, professional associations, universities, including UC Berkeley Benefits to Society: The project resulted in improved building technician education programs, benefiting students, employers, building owners, and occupants. Building technicians have been educated for living wage jobs that support both environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. Based on this project’s successes, Laney has recently been awarded an NSF National Center grant: Building Efficiency for a Sustainable Tomorrow - BEST Center. For more information, contact PI Peter Crabtree (pcrabtree@peralta.edu, 510-464-3218) and visit our websites: www.laney.edu/ect, and www.bestctr.org. Disclaimer: This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in the Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
0802595
Program Officer
Darryl N Williams
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2008-09-15
Budget End
2013-01-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$999,716
Indirect Cost
Name
Peralta Community College District Office
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Oakland
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94606