IIT NECA Student Chapter Wins Chapter of the Year at NECA National Conference
The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) NECA Student Chapter won the Student Chapter of the Year at the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) Green Energy Challenge held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 29, 2018.
Competing against 30 universities in the United States and Canada the IIT NECA Chapter also won first place in the National Green Energy Challenge Proposal submission and third place in the presentation competition. Iowa State University and Penn State won the two top spots. The eight IIT NECA student chapter members who competed in the finals were Mike Hickey (INTM) Antwan Ahmed (ME), Myka Chang (Arch Eng), Alouki Shah (Arch Eng), Taylor Thompson (Eng Mgt), Conrad Yeung (INTM), and Ryan Schonken (Arch Eng). The IIT team was supervised by IIT NECA Student Chapter Advisor/Adjunct Professor, Industrial Technology and Management, Dr. Dan Tomal.
The competition required the teams to conduct an energy audit and propose a Net-Zero building. The IIT chapter members selected the Chicago Institute of Cultural Affairs, and completed the audit as part of a spring and fall Interprofessional Project, “Developing Insights that Support Energy Efficiency Improvement Strategies for Varied Built Environments” (IPRO 213), with support from the Electrical Contractors’ Association of City of Chicago. The IIT team put in numerous hours of preparation and practice for the intense competition in Philadelphia. The winners were selected after each team made a 15- minute formal presentation to a panel of judges, selected from around the country.
The IIT NECA Chapter won the prestigious first place Outstanding Chapter of the Year largely based upon the chapter’s strong volunteers, active chapter involvement, and contributions to Illinois Tech School of Applied Technology’s Smart Tech Lab on Mies Campus. In addition to the award events, the students also attended NECA special events, vendor show, parties, and seminars. U.S. President Donald Trump delivered the closing presentation for the conference.
The IIT NECA Student Chapter plans to enter the 2019 NECA Green Energy Challenge, to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. They will create their entry as part of IIT’s IPRO 213, starting in Spring 2019.
