Latest News

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are extremely grateful to our 2026 HVAC&R Program sponsors for their continued investment in our students and our program.

Our updated sponsorship model creates a direct connection between industry support and student opportunity. Sponsorship helps fund student field trips, HVAC&R research, course equipment and supplies, ASHRAE Student Club activities, and FE Exam sponsorships. Our new year-round lab recognition also provides our industry partners with exposure to more than 300 students each year.

Thank you for helping us provide an outstanding Learn by Doing HVAC&R education at Cal Poly!

Our Revised HVAC&R Curriculum

The first semester is in full swing at Cal Poly, marking an exciting new chapter for the Mechanical Engineering HVAC&R Program. With the transition to semesters, we are launching our revised HVAC&R curriculum—building on our strong technical foundation while placing an even greater emphasis on sustainability, energy efficiency, decarbonization, and hands-on Learn by Doing experiences.

ME 3355 – Introduction to Sustainable Energy Usage in Buildings introduces students to the HVAC&R industry and the fundamentals of sustainable energy use in buildings. Students study human comfort, indoor air quality, heating and cooling loads, energy estimating, HVAC system concepts, and basic controls. Laboratory experiences include HVAC&R equipment demonstrations, campus building tours and guest presentations from the HVAC&R industry.

ME 4455 – Building Energy Performance and Modeling focuses on understanding, assessing, and improving building energy performance. Students conduct building energy assessments, analyze energy-use data and indoor environmental quality, identify energy-efficiency measures, and use building energy modeling software to evaluate the effects of building envelopes, HVAC systems, ventilation, lighting, controls, and climate.

ME 4456 – HVAC&R Air and Water Distribution for Sustainable Building Environments applies fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, load calculations, and psychrometrics to the design of air and hydronic HVAC&R systems. Laboratory experiences include airflow, pressure-drop, fan and pump testing, campus building tours, review of construction plans, and design projects involving air and water distribution systems.

ME 4457 – Environmentally Efficient and Sustainable Refrigeration Systems explores refrigeration system design with an emphasis on efficiency, refrigerant selection, and environmental impact. A major Learn by Doing component is a semester-long project in which student teams design, build, and test a refrigeration system and compare its measured performance with their engineering predictions.

ME 4465/4466 – HVAC&R Senior Design Project is the culmination of the concentration. During this two-semester sequence, student teams work on open-ended HVAC&R projects involving engineering analysis, project management, sustainability, ethics, teamwork, and professional communication. Depending on the project, the final result may be a complete engineering design or a built and tested device or system.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are extremely grateful to our 2026 HVAC&R Program sponsors for their continued investment in our students and our program.

Our updated sponsorship model creates a direct connection between industry support and student opportunity. Sponsorship helps fund student field trips, HVAC&R research, course equipment and supplies, ASHRAE Student Club activities, and FE Exam sponsorships. Our new year-round lab recognition also provides our industry partners with exposure to more than 300 students each year.

Thank you for helping us provide an outstanding Learn by Doing HVAC&R education at Cal Poly!

Upcoming Events

Fall 2026 HVAC&R Industry Showcase

Friday, October 16, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Multi-Activity Center (MAC), Cal Poly
The Cal Poly ASHRAE Student Branch invites HVAC&R companies and industry professionals to join our annual Industry Showcase. The event provides an opportunity to connect with highly motivated Mechanical Engineering students, promote internship and career opportunities, and engage directly with Cal Poly’s HVAC&R Program.

Lunch is included for company attendees, and parking and logistics information will be provided following the registration deadline.

Annual HVAC&R Appreciation Dinner – Open to everyone in the Cal Poly HVAC&R community

Please join us on October 16 for our Annual HVAC&R Appreciation Dinner—a celebration of YOUR support of our program. Students, alumni, industry partners, faculty, and friends of the program are all invited to attend: Multi-Activity Center (MAC), Cal Poly starting at 5pm.

Sponsorship Panel Reveal, HVAC&R Lab Tour & Cal Poly Shop BBQ – Open to everyone in the Cal Poly HVAC&R community

On Saturday, October 17, directly following the HVAC&R Industry Advisory Board meeting, we will reveal our new HVAC&R Sponsorship Panel in the HVAC&R lab, offer tours of the HVAC&R Lab, and enjoy a BBQ prepared by our Mechanical Engineering shop technicians.

Come meet our HVAC&R students—and bring a business card to add your company to our new “Wall of Fame.” You have to be there in person to earn your spot!

2nd Annual HVAC&R and NASRC Student Experience

In partnership with the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), the Cal Poly ASHRAE Student Branch, and the ME HVAC&R Program, we will host our second HVAC&R and NASRC Student Experience on March 5, 2027.

Last year’s inaugural event brought together 100 students and 23 industry professionals for a day of hands-on learning, career exploration, and networking. We are excited to build on that success in 2027.

View all upcoming HVAC&R events

HVAC&R Senior Design

Be sure to check out the Senior Design projects from the 2025–26 academic year on our website.

Explore our recent Senior Design projects

This year, we have five new HVAC&R Senior Design projects underway: an industry-sponsored project; a research project in collaboration with Dr. Kim; a K–8 outreach device that will visualize how building loads affect energy use and carbon footprint; a project investigating decarbonization strategies for building heating; and a project developing a future laboratory for airflow visualization.

ASHRAE Student Club

The Cal Poly ASHRAE Student Branch starts the academic year with new student officers and a busy schedule. Our first activities include the Diablo Canyon Power Plant Tour on September 11, the Women in ME/ASHRAE Dinner on October 15, and the Fall HVAC&R Industry Showcase on October 16.

The club now meets Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the HVAC&R Lab (13-124) during Cal Poly’s new UU Hour. Industry professionals also join us approximately every other week as guest speakers, giving students opportunities to learn about companies, technical topics, and career paths throughout the HVAC&R industry.

Looking Ahead

We are excited for the academic year ahead and incredibly grateful for the industry support that makes so many of these opportunities possible. Together with our students, alumni, faculty, sponsors, and industry partners, we look forward to continuing Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing tradition and preparing the next generation of engineers to lead the HVAC&R industry toward a more sustainable future.

We hope to see you at one of our upcoming events!