Author: Steffen Peuker

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Posts by Steffen Peuker

Western Allied’s Mike Gallagher Shares Career Advice at Feb. 26 Club Meeting

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Mike Gallagher, President Emeritus of Western Allied Corporation, spoke at the 2/26/2026 club meeting and shared practical career advice for students entering the HVAC industry. He discussed different business structures and emphasized the importance of company culture, encouraging students to visit potential employers in person and understand who they would report to before accepting a […]

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DMG presents at Cal Poly ASHRAE Club to Discuss Sales Engineering and a New CO₂ Heat Pump

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Aidan Hays, a sales engineer with DMG took the time to present at the 2/12/2026 club meeting. DMG is a leader in HVAC equipment sales. They specialize in high quality engineered products and pride themselves on being technical solutions providers to their customers. DMG has offices all over California and always looking for talented Cal […]

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2026 ASHRAE Winter Conference

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From January 30 to February 3, 23 Cal Poly students and two faculty members attended the annual ASHRAE Winter Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. They attended technical sessions, networked with industry professionals, and explored the AHR Expo, deepening their awareness of the HVAC&R industry. ASHRAE Student Branch officer Anson Chen shares his experiences below. _________________________________________________________________________________ […]

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Net-Zero Design and Construction-a-Thon 2026

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From January 23 to 25, 49 Cal Poly students participated in the annual Net-Zero Design and Construction-a-Thon. They spent their weekend competing to design an updated HVAC system for a multi-use building including office space, data center, and warehouse. The student teams selected mechanical equipment, created budgets for labor and materials, scheduled construction and planned […]

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Evolution of Data Center HVAC Design and Energy Efficiency

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Overview Mehrdad Alipour, PE, from Therma led a workshop on modern data center HVAC design. He explained how HVAC has changed as computing demand has grown. He also covered higher power densities and the fast rise of cloud and AI. Mehrdad connected core mechanical engineering ideas to real site conditions. He showed how HVAC supports […]

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Fall 2025 NorCal Field Trip

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Eighteen ASHRAE Club members, as well as advisor Lauren Rueda, traveled to the San Jose area to learn about the HVAC&R industry. The first stop was the ASHRAE San Jose Chapter Student Night, which included a presentation from past presidents of the chapter, advice from industry professionals to current students, and plenty of time to […]

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HVAC&R Industry Showcase 2025

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The annual HVAC&R Industry Showcase drew an impressive turnout this year, with over 300 students and 33 companies in attendance. Representatives shared insights into real-industry experiences in areas such as energy efficiency, sustainable building solutions, and much more. Overall, the event demonstrated the growing importance of HVAC&R in addressing global needs, including energy and sustainability […]

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Women in ME/ASHRAE Dinner – Fall 2025

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The HVAC&R 20th Annual Event weekend kicked off with an ASHRAE/Women in ME dinner. More than 60 students attended, as well as several industry professionals and faculty members. The event included a networking session and an industry panel, as well as dinner. During the panel industry professionals with six months to 15+ years of experience shared […]

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HVAC System Design for a Medical Office in Manchester, England

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For this ASHRAE Student Design Competition project, students were challenged to select an optimized HVAC system for a new three-story medical office building in Manchester, England. The team evaluated three system options—two VAV systems with reheat (paired with water- or air-cooled chillers) and a VRF system with heat recovery and dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS). […]

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Enhancing HVAC&R Education Through Experimental Psychrometric Labs

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This project focuses on improving student understanding of air-handling systems and psychrometric processes through two newly developed lab experiences for ME4456. In the physical lab, students use a custom-built air-mixing apparatus connected to a DX refrigeration trainer to measure and observe mixed air conditions and their affect on cooling coil performance. The practical lab explores […]

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Developing a Load Calculation Lab for ME 3355: Hands-On HVAC&R Learning at Cal Poly

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This project supports the transition to semesters by creating a new load calculation labs for ME 3355, a course focused on the fundamentals of HVAC&R systems. Working with industry-standard software platforms like DesignBuilder/EnergyPlus and HVAKR, students developed a three-part lab series exploring building envelope modeling, zoning, and sensitivity analysis and the differences between the radiant […]

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Post-Combustion Carbon Capture for HVAC&R: A Retrofit Module for Building Sustainability

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This project explores a novel retrofit approach to carbon capture in HVAC&R systems, with the goal of reducing building-related CO₂ emissions. Students worked with guidance from faculty advisor Dr. Steffen Peuker to design a modular system that captures carbon from natural gas boiler exhaust using a combination of temperature swing adsorption and potassium hydroxide scrubbing. […]

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Congratulations to Our 2025 ASHRAE SoCal Scholarship Recipients!

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Five Cal Poly mechanical engineering students were honored with scholarships totaling $19,000 by the ASHRAE Southern California Chapter on May 6. The students are all members of the ASHRAE Student Branch at Cal Poly and wrote essays regarding why they are planning to pursue careers in HVAC&R as part of their application process. Roha Ali, […]

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Spring 2025 SoCal Field Trip

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23 ASHRAE club students, joined by club advisor Lauren Rueda, traveled to the Los Angeles area for a two-day trip packed with educational and professional development opportunities. The students toured ACCO’s Pasadena office, beginning with a welcome from ACCO President and CEO Jeffrey Marrs, who was himself a member of the ASHRAE club during his […]

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Womxn in ME/ASHRAE Dinner – Spring 2025

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More than 30 students attended the Womxn in ME/ASHRAE Dinner on April 22, 2025. In alignment with the CENG Mental Wellness Fair that took place on April 23, the event focused on practices that support mental wellness. Attendees had the opportunity to color mandalas, create window hangings, and write postcards to the Letters of Love […]

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