Seventeen students recently spent two busy days traveling around the LA area to network and learn about the HVAC&R industry. On May 19th they visited the SMART Facility for Sheet Metal Local Union 105 in the City of Industry and toured the training facilities, then attended the ASHRAE SoCal Student Night. At the Student Night […]
Read More… from Cal Poly Students Explore HVAC&R Careers in SoCal
We are proud to recognize five Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students who applied for the 2026 ASHRAE SoCal Chapter scholarships. Of these applicants, four students were selected to receive awards in recognition of their academic achievements, leadership, and involvement in the HVAC&R industry. This year’s scholarship recipients are: Grace Murphy (Edward Schmidt Scholarship Recipient) […]
Read More… from Congratulations to Our 2026 ASHRAE SoCal Scholarship Recipients
Six Cal Poly students attended the second annual Women in ASHRAE Leadership Symposium in Los Angeles in April, along with faculty advisers Jennifer Mott Peuker and Lauren Rueda. Throughout two packed days they attended technical sessions, networked with industry professionals, and learned about new technologies and opportunities in the HVAC&R sector. […]
Read More… from Cal Poly Students Attend Women in ASHRAE Leadership Symposium
Davis Muxlow, CEO of HVAKR, spoke at the 4/30/2026 club meeting and shared insight into the future of software and Artificial Intelligence specifically within the HVAC industry. He emphasized the growing importance of soft skills in engineering, particularly the ability to build relationships and communicate effectively. Muxlow noted that as technology continues to advance, technical […]
Read More… from The Future of HVAC: AI, Software, and Career Skills with HVAKR CEO Davis Muxlow
Mechanical Engineering senior and incoming ASHRAE club officer Lucas Meneghetti shares his experiences of a club tour of Cal Poly’s Central Plant: This past Thursday, April 24, I had the opportunity along with 12 other Cal Poly ASHRAE students to join professor and club advisor Lauren Rueda and Supervisor of Central Plant and Refrigeration Aaron […]
Read More… from Inside Cal Poly’s Central Plant: ASHRAE Club Tour Experience
Cameron Curtis, Senior Team Lead for ACCO, spoke at the 4/16/2026 club meeting and shared insights into careers in the HVAC industry and their journey from a mechanical engineering student to an industry professional. He emphasized that their career path was not linear, but shaped by exploring different roles and being open to new opportunities, […]
Read More… from ACCO’s Cameron Curtis Shares HVAC Career Insights at the ASHRAE Student Club Meeting
In partnership with the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), the Cal Poly Student ASHRAE Branch and the ME HVAC&R program, Cal Poly’s inaugural HVAC&R and NASRC Student Experience brought together 100 students and 23 industry professionals for a day of hands-on learning, career exploration, and networking. Students learned foundational refrigeration design concepts, practical tools, and […]
Matt di Cicco, a sales manager with Hussmann took the time to present at the 4/2/2026 club meeting. Hussmann is a company that designs and manufactures commercial refrigeration systems and display cases primarily used by supermarkets, convenience stores, and food retailers. The Federal AIM Act is resulting in the largest change in the refrigeration industry […]
Read More… from The Future of Refrigeration: AIM Act & Natural Refrigerants with Hussmann
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 […]
Read More… from Western Allied’s Mike Gallagher Shares Career Advice at Feb. 26 Club Meeting
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 […]
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. _________________________________________________________________________________ […]
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 […]
Read More… from Net-Zero Design and Construction-a-Thon 2026
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 […]
Read More… from Evolution of Data Center HVAC Design and Energy Efficiency
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]