UMass partners with Mass Energy Lab Insulation to test job-site spray foam insulation safety

Researchers at University of Massachusetts Lowell are conducting a study to evaluate exposures associated with the use of products that contain reacting chemicals (such as isocyanates and epoxies) and controls that reduce exposures to these chemicals in construction during the installation of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation in homes across Massachusetts.

Anila Bello, ScD, MSc, a research occupational and environmental health scientist at UMass Lowell's College of Health Sciences says, "We are looking forward to the partnership with Mass Energy Lab Insulation as they are a widely regarded insulation company here in Massachusetts and have given us unprecedented access to numerous job sites and insulation personnel, to assess exposures to and develop recommendations for safer work practices for installers, bystanders, and occupants."

This unique study is headed by principal investigators Dhimiter Bello, ScD and Susan Woskie, PhD. "SPF is an excellent insulating material. The chemistry and technology of spray foams has improved considerably over the years and so have industry best practices, adherence to which enable safe foam applications," Dhimiter says. "Field exposure data and field observations to date are limited. Good data will allow us to make informed decisions on best work practices and controls, so we can reap the benefits of the technology while keeping everyone - the installer, helpers, and homeowners - safe. This partnership with Mass Energy Lab is an important mechanism towards reaching these goals, and we value their pro-safety culture."

"The study is federally funded and we do not analyze anything else not related to the work, including drugs or drug by-products. We're researching so that we can better understand where and how exposures occur and how controls can be engineered so these tools and equipment can be made safer for health. Having a forward thinking insulation company like Mass Energy Lab as our partner has been very beneficial. Our collaboration is built on trust and a mutual long-term vision to make a positive impact on the spray foam industry as a whole," Dhimiter added.

"The two most important stakeholders in any company are their clients and employees. Knowing that we can give our customers and installers a validation that when we install spray foam insulation in their homes, we're bringing a valid, science-backed paradigm is our top priority with this partnership," states Edward Liu, Mass Energy Lab's operations engineer. "We strive to be the expert on insulation, and it's a privilege to work with the UMass team that has long been the authority on studies like this." 

Mass Energy Lab Chief Field Engineer Josue Valdez says, "The insulation industry is one of the most scrutinized and regulated industries, and the SPF insulation market is growing by 7.6 percent annually. So being able to have UMass come to our job sites, build such great trust with our install team, observe our installers as they work, and test samples of spray foam insulation in our client's homes is unbelievable because insulation workers come to work everyday and get exposed to various chemicals and resins and use a variety of equipment to protect themselves from it. We all want to know that are we in a safe workplace, and this is part of Mass Energy Lab's commitment to working together to create a safer work environment for our spray foam installers. It's about working together to create a seamless, safe insulation install."

Mass Energy Lab Insulation is a Boston-based insulation company that designs and installs insulation solutions in homes. For more information, www.massenergylabinsulation.com/

Volkert announces the formation of Volkert Global

Volkert, a full-service, multi-discipline engineering services firm with a long history of providing support for public and private infrastructure clients in the United States, recently announced that it has formed a new entity, Volkert Global. Volkert Global will serve as an independent international affiliate for Volkert and will further extend the firm's ability to reach and serve their growing international client base.

Volkert Global has named Jerry Stump, current COO for Volkert, as its president and chief executive officer to lead the organization from its new headquarters in the Metro Nashville, Tennessee area. Perry Hand, Volkert president and CEO, stated, "Jerry will continue in the COO role as well as lead this exciting new venture of Volkert Global. We are very excited for the future of Volkert and Volkert Global."

Volkert's most recent global activity has been working with one of its strategic design partners on a critical infrastructure development in Panama. A new Metro Link Transit System will serve Panama City as well as growing areas throughout the region.

Volkert is an employee-owned engineering firm serving state and federal agencies, local and municipal governments, private industry, and select international clients. A 91-year-old company, Volkert is headquartered in Mobile, AL and has 35 offices in 14 states and the District of Columbia. To learn more about Volkert, visit www.volkert.com.

Director selected to lead new engineering programs at UIndy

An expert in electrical and computer engineering has been chosen to lead the newly created programs in engineering at the University of Indianapolis. José Sánchez brings substantial research and teaching experience from his work at Bradley University in Peoria, IL, where he began teaching in 2002. He has served most recently as associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Bradley. His specialties and research interests include biomedical imaging and devices, discrete-time signal processing, embedded systems, engineering education, robotics, real-time implementation of digital signal processing and image, and multidimensional, multirate, and adaptive signal processing.

“The needs of engineering have changed over the last few decades,” Sánchez says. “Most problems that society faces today require complex multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary solutions. My goal is to collaborate with the industry to create real-world problems for our students to solve. UIndy’s strong core, along with the emphasis on communication, problem-solving, design, testing and teamwork, will uniquely position our engineering students as strong contributors to society.”

Sánchez is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and a member of a number of IEEE societies (Education; Engineering in Medicine and Biology; Signal Processing; and Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control) as well as the Acoustical Society of America and the American Society for Engineering Education. He holds a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

UIndy now offers two new degrees in the fast-growing fields of software engineering and industrial and systems engineering. The university is one of few Indiana institutions to offer these engineering programs, which provide students with authentic design opportunities invigorated by a general education core that seeks to develop well-rounded professionals. “These programs build on UIndy’s strengths in the sciences and mathematics,” says Jennifer Drake, dean of the Shaheen College of Arts & Sciences. “Students choosing to study engineering at UIndy will benefit from small class sizes, strong relationships with faculty, and unique opportunities to engage in undergraduate research and project-based learning.” UIndy’s engineering programs emphasize creativity, critical thinking, social responsibility, and problem solving.

More information about the engineering programs at UIndy is available at www.uindy.edu/cas/engineering.

GHT Principal James Yang earns Green Plumbing Design designation

GHT Limited (GHT), a DC metro area mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering consulting firm, has announced that Principal James Yang, PE, CPD, GPD, LEED AP BD+C has earned the Green Plumbing Design (GPD) designation.

The GPD certificate program, sponsored by the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) and the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), is for engineers and designers with advanced skills in sustainable plumbing system design and consulting. Available only for engineers and designers who hold either the Certified in Plumbing Design (CPD) certification or a Professional Engineer (PE) license, the GPD certificate denotes professionals with a high level of experience and training in sustainable practices. The GPD designation signifies professionals who are dedicated to ensuring the efficient use of our precious water resources via water-conserving plumbing system designs for commercial and residential applications.

As the firm’s plumbing discipline leader and plumbing section head for the building systems studio, James provides design guidance, technical support, quality control, and workload management with a focus on thorough documentation and technical accuracy. James’ 20 years of experience includes plumbing and fire protection design, hydraulic calculation for fire protection, and construction phase services for a variety of commercial, governmental, and institutional projects.

In addition to his GPD designation, James is a registered professional mechanical engineer in Maryland, Certified Plumbing Designer, and LEED Accredited Professional. He holds a Journeyman Plumber license from the State of Colorado and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. James studied at the Hubei University of Automotive Technology.

GHT provides mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering solutions for the built environment. Our approach integrates proven techniques with the latest technologies and sustainable design practices. In addition to MEP design and commissioning for base building systems and interiors, GHT offers operations and energy services that enhance building performance and real estate advisory services that inform investment decisions. For more than 50 years, GHT has helped improve efficiency and value for commercial, institutional, and government real estate in the Washington, DC region.

World’s first pilot-scale hydrothermal processing system completed

Genifuel Corporation, Reliance Industries Ltd., Merrick & Company, Springs Fabrication, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have completed design, fabrication, and commissioning of Genifuel’s pilot-scale hydrothermal processing system. The feedstock for the system is wet organic material (up to 85% water), which the system converts by temperature, pressure, and catalysis into oil and methane gas. Both the liquid and gas products are similar to their fossil fuel equivalents. The biocrude oil can be refined by conventional processes into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, while the methane gas can be used to produce renewable electricity. It is now being installed at Reliance’s large algae growth facility in Gagva, India.

The system was tested at oil production rates between 1,000 and 2,000 liters per day, which is a much higher throughput than any previous demonstration of the technology and demonstrates its scalability. In addition to algae slurries, the system can process a wide variety of other organic waste slurries. Processing such wet wastes is a “triple win” for the environment, since it remediates greenhouse-gas-emitting wet wastes, produces renewable fuels, and produces clear, sterile water as a byproduct. Other feedstocks that have been tested previously include wastewater solids (sewage sludge), food waste, animal wastes such as dairy cow manure, and many others including chemical processing wastes. All of these waste streams can be similarly converted into useful oil and gas.

The technology was originally developed by the U.S. Department of Energy at PNNL in Richland, WA and is licensed to Genifuel Corporation of Salt Lake City, UT, which has jointly developed additional patents with PNNL. Merrick & Company (www.merrick.com) of Greenwood Village, CO engineered and led commissioning of the system, which was fabricated by Springs Fabrication of Colorado Springs, CO.

University of Brirish Columbia researchers discover cure for "concrete cancer"

University of British Columbia researchers have found a more reliable way to make concrete from discarded glass. In a recent study, researchers from UBC’s Okanagan campus were able to calm a chemical reaction that has traditionally caused glass-fed concrete to weaken, expand, and crack, a reaction known as concrete cancer.

“Every year, millions of tons of glass bypass recycling centers and end up in North American landfills,” says Associate Professor of Engineering Shahria Alam (right above). “Like many engineers, we are interested in making smarter building materials that can give the construction industry the resources they need without necessarily having to take new resources out of the ground. Researchers have been looking for a long time for ways to reliably make use of glass in concrete construction, and we believe that this research represents a significant advancement in that search.”

Concrete cancer occurs when the alkaline properties in cement paste react with silica properties that can occur in recycled concrete additives, such as glass. In their study, Alam and co-researcher Anant Parghi (left above), found that by adding a water-based, synthetic rubber polymer, fly ash, and silica powder to the concrete mixture, they could effectively neutralize negative chemical reactions.

“By partially replacing cement with polymer, fly ash, and glass powder, we produced concrete that was more than 60 per cent stronger than previously believed possible,” says Parghi. “Although further testing is needed to assess long-term stability, it now looks like we can replace up to 25 per cent of the cement materials that had to be mined for cement production with glass.”

All of the glass used in the study was taken from the landfill in Kelowna, BC and was considered waste at the time it was retrieved. The concrete additives were donated from Kelowna-based company POLYRAP Engineered Concrete Solutions.

GAI Consultants welcomes fourth class to on-site MBA program

GAI Consultants has announced the start of its fourth Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree class in partnership with Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. The University’s on-site corporate MBA was launched in the fall of 2009, with GAI among the first businesses in the Pittsburgh region to take advantage of the program. Gary DeJidas, P.E., president and CEO of GAI, says, “It gives me great satisfaction to welcome GAI’s fourth MBA class. This unique partnership with Point Park University affords GAI staff a tremendous opportunity for career growth and personal achievement.”

GAI offers the on-site corporate MBA program to high-potential employees. GAI’s degree program was specifically designed with employee needs in mind, with course topics and projects related to the firm’s business and industry. The accelerated, fully-accredited MBA program is a cornerstone of GAI’s in-house leadership development initiative and is open to all GAI employees who meet the minimum requirements.

Point Park University professors teach classes exclusively to GAI employees at the firm’s Pittsburgh office once a week, with telecasting via Skype for Business available for employees at other locations. Students focus on one class at a time for seven weeks per class. The current MBA class includes 10 employees from five of the firm’s offices, including Pittsburgh-based Project Engineer Todd Wilson, P.E.

In business since 1958, GAI Consultants is an employee-owned engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firm providing local expertise to worldwide clients in the energy, transportation, development, government, and industrial markets. The firm has offices throughout the eastern and midwestern United States.