The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recognized 56 members and one chapter for contributions to ASHRAE and the HVAC&R industry at the Society’s 2009 Annual Conference in June.
The Florida Solar Energy Center’s James Cummings and Charles (Chuck) Withers, Jr. received the 2008 Journal Paper Award for their article, Problems Related to Air Handler Leakage. The award honors the best paper or article published in ASHRAE Journal.
With assistance from the Florida American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Florida Department of Community Affairs’ Weatherization Assistance Program is offering grants to qualifying low-income households for energy-efficient home improvements. 
Preference is given to owner-occupied homes, elderly (60 years-plus) or physically disabled residents, families with children under 12 and households with a high-energy bills.
Contact your local Weatherization Assistance Program office to see if you qualify or visit www.FloridaCommunityDevelopment.org/WAP for more information about the program.
Florida students have creative ideas for solving some of our world’s greatest energy challenges, and their renewable energy solutions were demonstrated at the EnergyWhiz Olympics – a series of day-long activities dedicated to students with an interest in alternative fuel technologies.
Nearly 700 students throughout Florida converged at the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa on Saturday, May 9, 2009 to compete in the seventh-annual EnergyWhiz Olympics. Events included the new Bright House Solar Energy Cookoff, a solar cooker and cooking contest; the Junior Solar Sprint, model-size solar car races; the High School Hydrogen Sprint, model-size hydrogen fuel cell car races; and Energy Innovations, a full-scale solar electric design challenge.
An article written by Nazim Muradov, a principal research scientist at the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center, was recently identified by Thomson Reuters’ Essential Science Indicators SM as one of the most cited papers in the research area of “Hydrogen Economy.”
Muradov’s highly cited article, “From hydrocarbon to hydrogen-carbon to hydrogen economy,” published in the “International Journal of Hydrogen Energy” in March 2005, is now featured as a Fast Moving Front paper in the field of engineering on Thomson Reuters’ ScienceWatch® Web site: http://sciencewatch.com/sciencewatch/dr/fmf/2009/09mayfmf/09mayfmfMura/.
WHAT:
The seventh-annual EnergyWhiz Olympics is a series of day-long activities dedicated to students with an interest in alternative fuels. It is composed of the Junior Solar Sprint, Hydrogen Sprint, Energy Innovations and the new Bright House Solar Energy Cook-off.
WHY:
These hands-on renewable energy competitions – for elementary, middle and high school students – expose students to alternative energy fuel sources, and encourage scientific know-how, creative thinking, experimentation and teamwork.
WHO:
More than 650 elementary, middle, and high school Florida students – from Tallahassee to Miami and everywhere in between – will participate in the EnergyWhiz Olympics.
Number of Teams in Each Competition –
Junior Solar Sprint: 60
Hydrogen Sprint: 13
Energy Innovations: 12
Solar Cook-off: 46
WHEN:
Saturday, May 9 starting at 9 a.m.
9:00 a.m. Welcome – Auditorium
Dr. James Fenton, Director, Florida Solar Energy Center
9:30 a.m. Technical Judging Begins – Junior Solar Sprint, Hydrogen Sprint
Hydrogen Sprint Presentations
Energy Innovations Displays Open to Public
Solar Energy Cook-Off – Design Judging
Solar Cookers – Displays Open to Public
11:30 a.m. Energy Innovations Judging – Middle School Teams
12 noon Energy Innovations Judging – High School Teams
Junior Solar Sprint Race Begins (Track Area 1)
1:00 p.m. Hydrogen Sprint Race Begins (Track Area 2)
2:00 p.m. Solar Energy Cook-Off – Recipe Judging (Auditorium)
3:30 p.m. Awards Ceremony (Auditorium)
WHERE:
Florida Solar Energy Center, 1679 Clearlake Road, Cocoa, FL 32922
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
For more information on these exciting educational events, visit
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/en/education/k-12/events/ewhiz_olympics.htm or view a video about the EnergyWhiz Olympics at http://vimeo.com/982597.
Contact Susan Schleith, FSEC Education Coordinator, at 321-638-1017 or Susan@fsec.ucf.edu.
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PR09-07