BCT CityLab: Blurring the Lines between High School, College, and Industry

BCT CityLab: Blurring the Lines between High School, College, and Industry

Using the Boston Metro area as a real-world classroom, the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) this summer launched a new immersive pre-college program – the BCT CityLab – a first-ever offering at the UMass Mount Ida Campus, for high school juniors and seniors interested in exploring building construction, sustainability, engineering, architecture, and technology-related learning and career pathways. The inaugural program attracted students from five states (MA, NJ, CT, UT, IL) and three countries (Honduras, Switzerland, USA). Each participant learned about college life and earned college credits while engaging in construction site tours, hands-on fabrication projects and skills trainings.  The innovative program was designed to make learning fun, and to build tangible learning pathways to access Boston’s innovation economy. In the Building Physics Module, students learned about heat transfer and thermodynamics in buildings and how construction, control, and maintenance affect the related thermal processes. Then students applied what they learned in a real-world context – the 72-acre Mount Ida campus located in...
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Fidele Mazimpaka Presents on the Campus’ Building Automation Systems

Fidele Mazimpaka Presents on the Campus’ Building Automation Systems

Fidele Mazimpaka, the UMass Amherst Campus Energy Engineer, presented the final lecture of the Fall 2021 semester.  Overall building performance can significantly be improved through continuous monitoring and adjustment of operating parameters through building automation system (BAS). Parameters are automatically adjusted based on weather, occupancy, changes in condition and building loads. Programs in the BAS use inputs from multiple sensors on the equipment and in the buildings to constantly adapt the equipment operation to actual space conditions. The lecture presented an overview of how BAS is used in building operations and how it can be tied to other systems for alerting and reporting purposes.  https://youtu.be/2vmo5TizmL0 Links UMass Facilities & Campus Services ...
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Interested in transferring into BCT?

Interested in transferring into BCT?

Many of our BCT students transfer into the program during their studies at UMass or from other colleges. This was highlighted in a recent interview where Kevin Van Develde, Senior Assistant Director of Transfer Admissions, talked to BCT program director Alexander Schreyer about the program, career options, and how to join the program. You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUbUuUZ49z8 Interested in learning more about the BCT program? Contact us here....
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Washington Post Article on MassTimber Features the Olver Design Building and BCT’s Research

Washington Post Article on MassTimber Features the Olver Design Building and BCT’s Research

Today, the Washington Post published an article about the rise of MassTimber buildings (which are predominantly made using glulam and cross-laminated timber). The article featured exemplary projects throughout the country with the John W. Olver Design Building at UMass as a prominent example. BCT's research into Eastern Hemlock CLT is being described in the article through interviews with Prof. Peggi Clouston and Conrado Araujo, a BCT undergrad student who has been involved in this research for the past year. Forget the log cabin. Wood buildings are climbing skyward — with pluses for the planet – Washington Post (12/12/2019)...
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Ezra Small speaks about UMass Amherst’s sustainability efforts

Ezra Small speaks about UMass Amherst’s sustainability efforts

The first lecture of our spring BCT seminar series was given by Ezra Small, who holds the title of Campus Sustainability Manager at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In his engaged presentation, Ezra outlined the various efforts that UMass is undertaking to improve food supply, reduce waste, promote green building and reduce energy consumption, and support climate- and carbon-goals of the university and the state. Synopsis Mr. Small’s role within Facilities & Campus Services includes implementing sustainable systems to reduce the campus environmental footprint in energy, transportation, and waste. Notable accomplishments include establishing the Sustainability, Innovation & Engagement Fund, installing the largest solar project on a college campus in New England, winning the Massachusetts Leading by Example Award for outstanding environmental and energy leadership, helping the campus win the Second Nature Climate Leadership Award, and most recently launching ValleyBike, the largest electric assist bike share program in the Americas. Links Presentation Slides Sustainable UMass Presentation Slides https://youtu.be/IiwIIfEpLdc...
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