HVAC System Design for a Medical Office in Manchester, England

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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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Kennedy Library Construction Tour

You don’t realize how much you appreciate something until it’s gone. On Thursday, April 10, 24 students and their advisor from the ASHRAE club at Cal Poly had the privilege to attend a tour of the Kennedy Library construction. Representatives from Frank M. Booth, a mechanical contractor in the Bay Area, led a tour of […]

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2025 ASHRAE Winter Conference

Six mechanical engineering students and ASHRAE Club officers – Gabriella Aclan, Aryaman Bhargava, Ashley Corona, Katherine Hennig, Julia McMorrow, and Max Scott – recently traveled with club advisor Lauren Rueda to the ASHRAE Winter Conference in Orlando, Florida. At the conference, the officers had the opportunity to attend sessions geared towards students preparing to enter […]

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Net-Zero-Design Competition 2025

Thirty-six Mechanical Engineering and Construction Management students spent a recent weekend competing to design an updated HVAC system for a 40,000 square foot office building, including selecting mechanical equipment, budgeting for labor and materials, scheduling, planning the crane pick to place the equipment, and considering climate impacts. This was all part of the Net-Zero Design […]

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Fall 2024 NorCal Field Trip

At the end of seventh week, fourteen mechanical engineer students, along with ASHRAE Club Adviser Lauren Rueda, traveled to the San Jose area to learn about career opportunities within the HVAC industry. Their first stop was the ASHRAE San Jose Chapter Technical Meeting and Student Night. Students had the opportunity to network with industry professionals, […]

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ASHRAE Diablo Canyon Power Plant Tour

Students and officers from the Cal Poly ASHRAE club were lucky enough to tour Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in Avila Beach, just 30 minutes from Cal Poly! The group was given an extensive tour of the plant, seeing areas like the steam turbine deck, marina, and control room. Two HVAC engineers who work at […]

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