Training Student Engineers Through Industrial Energy Conservation:

1
Training Student Engineers Through Industrial
Energy Conservation The UIC Industrial
Assessment Center Investigators William M.
Worek, MIE Michael J. Chimack, MIE Robert
Miller, MIE Prime Grant Support U.S. Department
of Energy
Problem Statement and Motivation
The UIC-IAC promotes the training of young
engineers in the understanding of the role of
energy efficiency, demand and supply side energy
management, and renewable energy practices in
basic manufacturing systems and operations. The
goals of the program are to provide engineering
students with practical experience and training
in energy engineering and assist small- and
medium-sized manufacturers in identifying
opportunities to reduce their energy usage with
investment costs that reside inside their capital
investment guidelines.
IAC Student Conducting a Flue-Gas Test on a Plant
Boiler
Technical Approach
Key Achievements and Future Goals

• Since September 2000, completed over 120
• assessments
• Over 1,000 recommendations identified and
  quantified
• Over 5.6 million in implemented savings
  realized by
• clients
• UIC-IAC students have been awarded a number of
  
• university and engineering fellowships,
  scholarships
• and honors, including a Massachusetts Institute
  of
• Technology (MIT) Presidential Fellowship
• Students in the UIC-IAC program have a 100
• graduation and placement rate, with the vast
  majority
• of students accepting positions with employers
  well
• before graduation

A team of faculty, academic professionals and
engineering students visits an industrial plant
to conduct a one-day assessment. Opportunities
are identified, quantified, analyzed, written-up
and then presented to the client in a
comprehensive report. Each recommendation is
completely explained, with supporting information
provided that is justified by calculations,
measurements, industry information and vendor
cost quotes. Six to nine months after the
assessment, follow-up contact is made to
determine which recommendations have been
implemented, providing a measure of program
effectiveness and feedback to the students on how
they are impacting industry in a meaningful
manner.